20-year-old S’porean hiker gets lost on Taiwan mountain trail, rescued by local police

Singaporean university student gets lost amid rain & fog on Taiwan mountain trail

A Singaporean university student had to be rescued by the local police after getting lost while hiking in Taiwan.

The 20-year-old man had embarked on a trail at Taiping Mountain in Yilan County last Friday (1 Aug), reported local news portal Ilan News Net.

Singaporean gets lost on 18.9km-long Taiwan mountain trail

At about 8.20pm, the unnamed man set off down the Taijia Thru trail, an 18.9km trek to Jialuo Lake, thinking it would be a “spontaneous adventure”.

According to Taiwanhikes.com, the journey takes about two days, with overnight camping necessary.

However, at about 1.30pm, he encountered heavy rain, with the resulting dense fog causing him to lose his way.

Exhausted and out of options, he called the local police for help.

Lost Singaporean found by Taiwan police in over 2 hours

The police of Sanxing township sent an officer named Lin Yutang (transliterated from Mandarin), who put on his gear and braved the wet weather to search for the Singaporean.

He was finally found near Duomen Mountain — which has an elevation of 2,273m above sea level — at 3.43pm, more than two hours after he lost his way.

As the young man was tired and weak, the officer gave him food and water, as well as emotional support to calm him down.

Police officer guides lost S’porean to safety

In a video, Officer Lin was seen patiently guiding the man to safety, periodically checking on him to make sure he was alright and informing him that they would take about two hours to reach the police station.

As the rain continued to fall, he asked the Singaporean to walk slowly and carefully.

Finally, they made it back to the police station before 6.30pm.

Hikers advised to plan their route

Sanxing Police advised hikers to plan their route carefully before their journey, carry the correct equipment and monitor weather changes.

They also should avoid venturing on trails alone, it added.

In an emergency, hikers can call for assistance at 110 or 119.

Also read: 2 S’poreans get lost while climbing mountain in Langkawi, found in less than 3 hours

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Featured image adapted from 台灣讚警 on Facebook and Ilan News Net.