The story appears on

Page A7

October 13, 2011

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home » Nation

Lost hikers safe but may face fines

A TEAM of 14 hikers, missing in the Siguniang mountains in Sichuan Province, were reported to be safe yesterday, but they may be fined for straying into a forbidden area.

After 13 days missing in the mountains, they left the area under their own steam, staying well and maintaining their physical strength, according to guide Tang Yanghua.

But Siguniang Mountain Scenery Area Management Commission said the hikers may be fined 5,000 yuan (US$786) each, and they are also liable for the cost of rescue operations.

The team is being led by 35-year-old Xu Ning, an experienced mountain climber from Hangzhou. He led another team of hikers into the area last year but was forced to turn back because of bad weather and altitude sickness. All those hikers returned safely.

The latest team made contact around 8:30 yesterday morning and left the mountainous area about two hours later.

Tang said: "We did not lose our way, but had to find a new route because the landscape had changed."

The team, including nine hikers from Shanghai, Zhejiang and Guangdong, a guide and four bearers, camped in the Haizigou area of the range on October 1. Three days later, as planned, they continued their hike but were out of contact until yesterday morning. Weather in the area has been mostly calm.

The team reached a valley early yesterday morning. There was no cellphone signal and their torches ran out of power, so they decided to camp. They managed to make contact after reaching Gengda County.

The hikers originally planned to go from Haizigou to Wolong in the Siguniang mountains. Tang said they had relied on a wooden bridge over a river but it was washed away in a flood and they had to detour.

After using up their food, they picked wild fruit and vegetables. They knew they were safe after seeing a highway and finding their cellphones could operate, according to Tang.

Families of the hikers were happy to hear the good news. The sister of Zhang Zanqin, one of the hikers, said: "I do not remember what I said when I talked with my sister on the phone. Everything is all right as long as she is safe."

The hikers are now being investigated and could be punished, as they entered an area closed because of danger. The commission said they spend more than 300,000 yuan annually rescuing hikers in the area.

Since 2005, at least four hikers have lost their lives there, including two Russians.




 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend