16 trapped mountaineers airlifted from mountain

Taipei, March 20 (CNA) Sixteen mountaineers stranded in a cabin on Qilai East Ridge in Hualien County were airlifted to safety by the National Airborne Service Corps (NASC) Thursday morning, according to local authorities.

However, the NASC helicopters were unable to retrieve the body of a deceased mountaineer surnamed Lee (李) due to poor weather while hazardous road conditions also prevented the rescue team from reaching the site, according to Wen Tsung-hao (温宗豪), deputy commander of the Hualien County Fire Department First Corps.

Weather permitting, another attempt to retrieve the body will be made on Friday, Wen said.

On Thursday morning, the Hualien County Fire Department received another distress call from the 16 individuals, who had been trapped in the cabin for several days. Some were experiencing symptoms of altitude sickness, including stomachache and dizziness, while their food supplies were nearly depleted.

With weather conditions improving, the NASC was able to deploy choppers to the cabin to bring the 16 individuals down the mountain, Wen said.

After a medical evaluation, none of them required hospitalization, he added.

The team of 17 people started climbing the mountain from Qilai trailhead on Saturday, but encountered rainfall and then snowfall starting on Sunday, according to one member of the group surnamed Pan (潘).

The deceased man, 59, was an experienced climber, but reached his limit on Sunday, Pan recounted.

The team leader asked the team to stop and wait, "but we kept shivering," Pan said. "If we hadn't reached the cabin, we might also have been in danger."

One of the members stayed behind with Lee, but ultimately joined the others in the cabin, leaving Lee food and gas, said Pan.

When they were unable to reach Lee on Monday morning, the team retraced their steps and found his body at the side of the trail without vital signs.

A ground team of eight rescuers set out on Monday in an attempt to reach Lee and the 16 individuals, but were hindered by the accumulated snow of 30 centimeters and the 30 kilograms of equipment they were carrying, Wen said.

NASC helicopters were also on standby, but could not fly before Thursday due to bad weather, he said.