Missing Taiwanese trekker found alive after 47 days in Himalayas
Liang Sheng Yuehm, a 21-year-old Taiwanese trekker has been rescued, 47 days after he and his girlfriend went missing in the Himalayas. Liang was found by a high-altitude search and rescue team in a canyon at an altitude of 2,600m close to Tipling village in Nepal's Dhading district. The body of his girlfriend Liu Chen Chun, 19, was lying nearby.
How did they go missing?
Rescue worker Madhav Basnet said it appeared both trekkers "slid off a slippery trail while making an ascent towards Ghatlang village from Dhading." He added, "It looks like they fell off and got trapped in a cave-like formation and couldn't climb back up again."
Both went trekking despite heavy rainfall, last seen March 10
Liang and Liu, both students, had arrived in Nepal in February. They were last seen on March 9 in northern Dhading, from where they took off on a trek despite heavy rainfall. The two had failed to call their families as scheduled on March 10. This left their families concerned, prompting them to request official help to search for them five days later.
Snowfall and avalanches hampered search and rescue efforts
After the two Taiwanese students went missing, Nepalese police hired three guides and a helicopter to find them. The students were believed to be traveling to Langtang village to meet their Taiwanese friends. Local Himalayan guides were alerted about the situation. However, snowfall and irregular avalanches made an extensive rescue operation difficult.
Liang lost 30kg, survived on water and salt
Liang is out of danger and is being treated at a Kathmandu hospital. A doctor who is treating Liang said: "He can speak slowly. He told me his girlfriend died three days ago. He doesn't have trauma injuries, but his body has injuries stemming from worm-bites." Liang has reportedly lost 30kg since going missing. Doctors said he apparently survived by consuming water and salt.
