Elderly woman rescued after 4-hour ordeal on Taichung hiking trail

A four-hour ordeal on a popular hiking trail in Taichung, Taiwan, ended with the safe rescue of a 70-year-old woman who had gone missing after her son briefly stepped away to use a public restroom. The incident occurred on the "Great Wall" trail in Dadu District.

The woman's son reported her disappearance to the police around 2 p.m. He explained that he had been hiking with his mother earlier that morning when he stopped at a restroom. Expecting her to walk ahead slowly, he was shocked to find her gone upon his return just minutes later. Despite repeated calls and attempts to track her phone, he could not locate her and, fearing for her safety, sought police assistance.

Officers from the Ruijing Police Station immediately began a search, following the son's account and potential routes. After about an hour of searching along the trail for approximately 2 kilometers, they heard faint responses near the "Sanyong Station" rest stop. They discovered the elderly woman had fallen down a steep embankment about 10 meters deep.

Due to the treacherous terrain, direct rescue was impossible. Police officers, the son, and two helpful hikers formed a human chain. Carefully, they worked together to pull the woman step-by-step back up to the safety of the trail. The shaken woman recounted that she had slipped while trying to find a place to relieve herself and fell. Fortunately, she remained conscious and, feeling uninjured, declined medical transport. The mother and son were reunited, with the son expressing profound gratitude to the police and the hikers for their swift and effective rescue.

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I accidentally stepped on a slippery spot while looking for a place to relieve myself and fell.