Yesterday morning, the rescue team used their hands and feet to climb a cliff with a slope of about 70 degrees. Pictures in this edition were taken by reporters Wu Jiang and Li Chao. The area near the "ladder to heaven" has perilous terrain, forcing the rescuers to climb wooden ladders for progress. During the search and rescue operation, some sections required climbing rocks using ropes. A bottle of mineral water carried by one rescuer had already frozen into ice.
■ Follow-up on "50+ people searching mountains after man goes missing while climbing the Great Wall"
Report by Li Chao: Yesterday, nearly a hundred rescue personnel conducted a comprehensive search of the mountainous areas near the Jiankou section of the Great Wall in Huairou District but still failed to locate the missing man.
A man went missing while climbing the Jiankou section of the Great Wall, prompting his family to seek help. The day before yesterday, near the "ladder to heaven" section of the Great Wall in Bohai Town, Huairou District, more than 50 members of the Blue Sky Rescue Team found a glove identified by the family as belonging to the missing man (reported in our newspaper yesterday).
At around 8:00 AM yesterday, the Blue Sky Rescue Team and the One Foundation Rescue Alliance dispatched six teams to participate in the search. According to Ou Yaji, the on-site commander of the Blue Sky Rescue Team, three teams from Blue Sky were sent to different regions of the Jiankou section of the Great Wall, including the "ladder to heaven". About an hour west of where the glove was found is the "Eagle Flying Upside Down" region, known for its treacherous terrain and multiple incidents of tourists being struck by lightning. However, after a full day's search, the various teams came up empty-handed.
Huang Wei, the on-site leader of the One Foundation Rescue Alliance, stated that yesterday their team focused on checking blind spots and dead ends on the mountain, finding a suit and an outdoor item. However, after confirmation by the family, these items did not belong to the missing man.
At around 3:00 PM yesterday, a helicopter appeared overhead, circling over nearby mountainous areas. Captain Yuan Shan of the Blue Sky Rescue Team mentioned that the helicopter belonged to one of their team members, flying from Miyun to Huairou, where it hovered for over half an hour, mainly responsible for aerial reconnaissance and communication. Due to strong air currents at the time, the helicopter could not operate for long periods and had to return to its takeoff point.
Today, the search efforts will continue. It is understood that 13 rescue team members from Zhangjiakou will also arrive in Huairou to participate in the rescue mission.
■ Rescue Scene
Some sections of the search required rock climbing
At 8:00 AM yesterday, I followed the One Foundation rescue team to search for the missing person near the "ladder to heaven" section of the Jiankou Great Wall.
It takes approximately three hours to travel from the command post to the "ladder to heaven". The path was mostly obstructed by large stones, some of which had become slippery due to weathering, making it easy to slip when stepping on them.
After walking for about an hour from the entrance, a large rock blocked the way. On one side was a mountain wall, and on the other was a slope of about 60 degrees. The only way forward was through a narrow gap carved into the stone. The rescue personnel had to squeeze sideways, holding onto the mountain wall, moving slowly step by step.
Scattered across the mountain were shrubs, and there were many forked paths without any safety signs. Li Hongbing, a rescuer from the One Foundation Rescue Alliance, introduced that hikers who enter the wrong forked path can easily get lost. Therefore, during the search, they must traverse such forked paths to conduct investigations.
I followed a group of rescuers down one of the forked paths. One section was very steep, requiring the use of ropes to climb. This section of the mountain was steep, with many loose sandstones. As we climbed upward, the sandstones slid downward, making it easy to fall if one wasn't careful.
"Going up is easier than going down," said Li Hongbing. Climbing up the rocks was relatively easy, but coming down was very difficult, which could also lead to hikers getting lost.
■ Related News
Five hikers got lost in the mountains and sought help
Report by Li Chao: Yesterday, during the process of the rescue team searching for the missing man, the Blue Sky Rescue Team received another message that five hikers got lost while crossing the Jiankou section of the Great Wall, trapped in the mountains and needing rescue. The rescue team then went up the mountain to search. By around 6:00 PM last night, the lost hikers descended the mountain safely under the guidance of familiar tourists.
At around 3:00 PM yesterday, the Blue Sky Rescue Team received word that five hikers were trapped in the mountains and needed rescue. Subsequently, eight firefighters from the Yingbin Road Fire Station in Huairou District also arrived at the scene upon receiving the alarm.
According to the staff of the Blue Sky Rescue Team, the five trapped hikers (four men and one woman) included two foreigners. They originally planned to cross the Jiankou section of the Great Wall early yesterday morning, but later realized they had taken the wrong path when they encountered a large cliff. While trying to return along the same route, they got lost and called for help.
Multiple rescue personnel introduced that at around 8:30 AM yesterday, they had seen these five hikers during their search for the missing man. Their equipment was simple, and some were even wearing jeans. A rescue worker approached them and learned that it was their first time here. He reminded them that recently hikers had gone missing while climbing, suggesting they not climb recklessly, but the five ignored his advice.
In the afternoon, the rescue team went up to search, reaching halfway up the mountain when they received a call from the hikers stating they had met other tourists familiar with the terrain and would descend the mountain together.
It was understood that by around 6:00 PM last night, the five lost hikers had descended the mountain from the north side (the command post was on the south side) and were helped back to the city bus station by police cars.
■ Reminder
Thorough planning is essential before outdoor activities
● First, the leader should be sufficiently familiar with the outdoor route. If it’s a new route, relevant materials need to be reviewed beforehand, especially references provided by previous explorers.
● After understanding the characteristics of the route, a backup plan should be made to ensure that in case of unexpected situations among the team members, the nearest retreat route or the original path can be quickly located.
● When forming the team, the proportion of experienced to new members should be considered. As the difficulty level of the route increases, the proportion of experienced members should also increase.
● Adequate preparation of equipment and logistics is necessary, including food, walkie-talkies, GPS, etc., and a team doctor should accompany the expedition.
● During the journey, the length of the team should be kept moderate, maintaining concentration and consistent pace.
● If discrepancies between the actual route and expected conditions are discovered, it is best to return via the original path. If trapped, find a place with good communication signals to set up camp and seek help from professional rescue teams, mountain management departments, or public security departments.