Hiker dies in Hualien after being swept away by rising stream

Taipei, Aug. 26 (CNA) A female hiker died after being swept away by rapidly rising stream waters while climbing along the Mabolasi Hiking Route in Yushan National Park on Sunday, the Hualien County Fire Department said Wednesday.

According to the department, the woman, surnamed Fang (方), was part of a four-person group that began hiking from Dongpu in Nantou County on Aug. 18 and had planned to finish at Zhongping Logging Road in Hualien County on Monday.

While crossing a river valley near the Yuli Bridge Historic Site on Sunday, Fang was swept away when heavy rainfall in the mountains caused the stream to rise suddenly. The other three hikers, now stranded, radioed a distress message, authorities said.

The National Fire Agency relayed the message to the Hualien County Fire Department, which received it at 12:57 p.m. Monday.

The department immediately established an incident command center and dispatched rescue personnel, who reached the three stranded hikers at 8:46 p.m. that night.

On Tuesday, the search operation expanded to include two volunteer firefighters, four rangers from the Ministry of Agriculture, three police officers and 10 members of the eastern branch of the Taiwan Mountain Rescue Association, bringing the total search team to 26 people.

They sent out a drone, spotted the victim's body on Tuesday afternoon and carried it down the mountain.

The fire department said it had not been aware of the group's hiking plans because they entered the mountains from Nantou County rather than Hualien County.

Although the Central Weather Administration had not issued a typhoon warning, accumulated rainfall in the area exceeded 300 millimeters, causing streams to rise rapidly, the department said.

The Hualien County Government expressed its condolences to Fang's family and urged hikers to check weather forecasts, rainfall conditions and trail information before entering the mountains.

Authorities also advised hikers to file their itineraries and notify park or trail management staff of their plans.

Hikers should immediately stop their journey and move away from river valleys if they encounter prolonged rainfall, rapidly rising stream levels or deteriorating weather conditions, the county government said.

Mabolasi Hiking Route, one of Taiwan's four most challenging hiking routes, extends about 84.7 kilometers from the Dongpu trailhead in Nantou County to Zhongping Logging Road in Hualien County.

(By Li Hsien-feng and Lee Chieh-yu)

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