The torrential rain hit the Feilong Waterfall upstream team and caused 2 deaths, making it difficult for the police to search and rescue. (Courtesy of Fire Department)
2023/05/21 21:47
[Reporter Cai Zongxian/Pingtung Report]On the evening of the 20th, at Feilong Waterfall, Wutai Township, Pingtung County, a 10-person river tracing group was trapped by a 152 mm rainstorm in two hours. After a day and a night of rescue, 2 dead and 3 lost contact. Operations cannot be carried out at night, and the rest of the missing persons will continue to search and rescue tomorrow (22nd) at 5:30 in the morning. The river tracing team formed by 10 friends who love fitness and tracing rivers from all over the north, central and south. The heavy rain continued to head to the mountainous areas. Pingtung County Mayor Zhou Chunmi instructed the fire department to search and rescue the missing persons. The Pingtung District Prosecutor’s Office will investigate the incident afterwards to find out if there is anyone responsible.
A 10-person river tracing group from various counties and cities in the north, most of whom are good rock climbers, stayed at the Green Ocean Villa B&B in Wutai Township, Pingtung County on the 19th. Suddenly, it rained heavily in the mountains. When the river tracing group was divided into two teams to descend the canyon, the stream exploded. One of the team was hit by the flood. One of them was suspected of being hung on the cliff of the waterfall, while the other four were They were washed away by the flood and disappeared, and another team of five people was also trapped on the top of Feilong Waterfall due to the rush of the stream, waiting for rescue.
The Pingtung County Fire Department received a report from the victim’s wife at around 17:00 on the afternoon of the 20th, and immediately dispatched personnel to rescue them. In the early morning of the 21st, because the water in the tributary of the Ailiao Beixi River was still rushing, it was impossible to trace the stream, so they had to take a detour and take the ridge line for rescue. , and made a phone call to confirm the safety of the five people. The Mountain Disaster Rescue Association of the Republic of China also dispatched to assist in the rescue, and the Air Force Corps helicopter was dispatched from Taitung to search and rescue in the early morning.
At 8 o’clock in the morning, the Taitung air crew first dispatched a UH-60M helicopter, numbered NA-703, to carry out the mission and hang five people trapped. The first 38-year-old man surnamed Lin was sent to Taitung Fengnian Airport. 4 people were suspended twice and sent to the airport. 3 men and 2 women who were close to the mountain wall were rescued one after another. All of them were conscious and sent to the hospital for examination. Creek equipment, without saying a word.
At 4:00 p.m., the Pingtung County Fire Department confirmed the death of the woman hanging from the rock wall of the waterfall, and a male body was also found under the red backpack found by the aerial camera. Of the 5 missing people, 2 were confirmed dead, and 3 are still alive. People are still searching.
Xu Meixue, chief of the Ping County Fire Department, said that among the 5 missing persons from the Feilong Waterfall Trekking Group, the first female victim was suspected to have encountered flood water while descending the canyon. , the search and rescue personnel could not approach, but the body did not change, and it was judged to be dead. The second victim found a pink backpack during aerial photography. The location was in the 100-meter deep pool above Feilong Waterfall. There was a man’s body under the black backpack, and 2 people were confirmed dead. In addition, search and rescue personnel found another red bag, and will go to search and rescue to confirm it later.
According to the information from the Meteorological Bureau, there was almost no rain at the Wutai Jiamu Village Station before the accident, but from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm on the 20th, the local area suddenly experienced a sudden increase of 152 mm of rain, which can be clearly seen on the rainfall accumulation map , the blue color that originally showed a slight amount of rainfall turned into a red dot of the alert level within 2 hours, and “it only fell in the local mountainous area”, which also caught the experienced river tracers off guard and led to this major accident.
Before this accident, a similar canyoning trap occurred at the beginning of the month. Ba Zhengzheng, the mayor of Wutai Township, pointed out that this place is actually a forbidden area of the Rukai people, and tourists from outside hope to be prohibited from entering. The Ping County Government emphasized that the accidental rescue has come to an end Afterwards, a comprehensive review will be conducted.
The Pingtung District Prosecutor’s Office pointed out that at present, the priority is given to police and firefighting search and rescue. The prosecutor will investigate the incident afterwards to find out whether there is anyone responsible. If there is an inspection report, it will be inspected immediately. Assist the family members. In addition, the facts of the incident have yet to be investigated. Only by knowing the facts can we know whether there is anyone who should be held criminally responsible, or what kind of criminal responsibility may be possible.
The torrential rain hit the Feilong Waterfall Upstream Group and caused 2 deaths. The police searched and rescued all day and night. (Courtesy of Fire Department)
The torrential rain hit the Feilong Waterfall upstream group and killed 2 people. The police and firefighters searched and rescued across the mausoleum line to avoid the flood. (Courtesy of Fire Department)
The torrential rain hit the Feilong Waterfall Upstream Group and caused 2 deaths. The police searched and rescued all day and night. (Courtesy of Fire Department)
The water is turbulent, and search and rescue requires high detours. (Courtesy of Fire Department)
The heavy rain hit the Feilong Waterfall Trekking Group, and the police searched and rescued and found the equipment of the victims. (Courtesy of Fire Department)
The second victim was found and was hoisted down the mountain by helicopter. (provided by firefighting)
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