Kathmandu: A Taiwanese trekker is recovering in hospital after rescuers found him and his dead girlfriend on a mountainside in Nepal where they were stranded for 47 days, with only water and salt after their food ran out.
Liu Chen-chun, 18, died just three days before the rescue team located the couple in northwest Nepal, but her boyfriend managed to survive despite losing 30 kilos (66 pounds) during the ordeal.
A severely malnourished Liang Sheng-yueh, 20, was being treated in hospital in Kathmandu, where he was airlifted after being rescued from the remote region. The pair had followed a river downstream in the hope of finding a village but became stuck when they reached the edge of a waterfall and were unable climb back up.
They survived on potatoes and noodles until their food ran out, leaving them with little more than salt and water. Doctors treating Liang said that as well as his extreme weight loss, maggots had infested his right leg, but that he was recovering and regaining strength.
The families of the trekkers alerted authorities when they didn’t get in touch as scheduled on March 10.
Liang’s father travelled to Nepal after the couple went missing and chartered a helicopter to search for them. Chou Chiang-chieh, a friend of the pair, said they were biking from India to Nepal on a “dream adventure”. “She (Lui) fought to survive in the Himalayas for so long and I am really sad she didn’t make it, it’s such a pity, she’s like a family to me,” said Chou.
Another high school friend posted a tribute to Liu, remembering her as a “happy child” always seeking new places to go. “I believe you will also live well on the other side,” Corn Huang, who said she lived with Liu for a year during high school, posted on Facebook.
The couple had been hiking at about 3,000 metres without a guide. Tour operators have been pushing for guides to be mandatory if trekkers go above a certain altitude to ensure their safety, said Ang Tsering Sherpa, the head of Nepal’s mountaineering association. “Even popular routes can be tricky to navigate for new trekkers if there is snow or any other disturbances,” he said. Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal. Association president Chandra Prasad Risal said accidents could be avoided if guides were used. “We hope this serves as a wake-up call to authorities,” he said. (AFP)
