An Australian man who had been stranded for days in a cave along a cliff in the eastern Coastal Mountain Range was rescued yesterday, after search crews used drones and followed the sound of his saxophone to locate him.
The 50-year-old man, identified as Matthew, was escorted down the mountain by Taitung County Fire Bureau rescuers after days of difficult operations in steep terrain and poor weather.
“It’s a miracle. Thank you Taiwan,” Matthew said after returning to the coastal highway.
Photo: Liu Jen-wei, Taipei Times
Matthew, who entered the mountains alone on Saturday last week, said he spent days in the mountains without food, shoes or electronic devices, surviving by searching for water.
He said he had been hiking above the cliff area, but climbed down into a ravine after getting thirsty. When he tried to return, he found the route was too steep to climb back up.
Matthew said that when he felt close to giving up, he played his saxophone in hopes that someone would hear it or read the Bible, believing God would send him help.
The Taitung County Fire Bureau said it received a report on Monday that a foreign national had gone missing in the mountains of Donghe Township (東河). Rescue crews, volunteer firefighters and forestry personnel later set up a forward command post.
On Tuesday, rescuers’ drones located Matthew inside a cave near a mountain stream by a cliff face.
Heavy rain, collapsed trails and unstable terrain complicated rescue efforts and prevented helicopter operations, authorities said.
Drones were used to airdrop food and supplies to Matthew while rescue teams advanced on foot from two directions, they said.
Rescuers reached Matthew on Thursday evening, but rain, dense vegetation and dangerous terrain forced them to camp overnight before escorting him down the mountain yesterday.
The fire bureau said recent rainfall likely helped Matthew survive by providing water, while the cave protected him from wind and rain, preventing hypothermia.
Drones played a critical role in the operation, helping rescuers conduct aerial searches, map routes and deliver supplies in remote terrain with poor communications, the bureau said.
Thirty-three vehicles and 144 personnel were deployed over the rescue operation, the bureau added.
Matthew’s friend Kao Yung-hsu (高永旭) said Matthew enjoys hiking alone and is known for volunteering in disaster relief work in remote indigenous communities and Hualien.
Rescuers were able to pinpoint Matthew’s location partly because he played his saxophone after hearing people call for him in the mountains, Kao said.
“It worked like a whistle,” he said.
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