Missing Hikers Found After Seven Weeks Lost in Himalayas

Two Taiwanese hikers were found after going missing in Nepal. Liange Sheng-Yue and his girlfriend, Liu Chen-chun, were found and airlifted out of a ravine near the Narchet River in the Himalayas. They were rescued by Kathmandu-based Asian Trekking Agency official Basnet Madhav.

However, only Liang Sheng-Yue was found alive, as his girlfriend passed away three days before help arrived.

A photo of Liang when he was rescued. He lost 30 lbs during the time he went missing.

According to Basnet, the couple had been hiking around the remote Ganesh Himal route in Dhading district, which is west of Kathmandu.

On March 9, the couple trekked towards Langtang in Rasuwa district, but were faced with a snowstorm. They chose to keep moving forward despite having no guide or porter. During the storm, they lost their bearings and fell over 100 meters off a cliff into a ravine.

The couple started their trek in Ganesh Himal and got lost in the storm on the way to Langtang.

They took shelter in a small cave, and survived for 10 days on the packed food they carried. When they ran out of food, they resorted to eating salt and melted snow. However, when Liang was found, he confessed that he hadn’t eaten in many days.

Liang was conscious when he was found but he was exhausted.

Liang and the body of Liu were discovered by the rescue team in the same area and flown to a hospital in Kathmandu. The Taiwanese government says that they are keeping its consular office and the families of the victims updated on the latest developments.

According to the medical director at Grande International Hospital in Kathmandu, Liang had no physical injuries, but “was not very stable psychologically.” In an interview, Liang said he was “extremely tired” when he was found, and he had maggots between his toes and lice in his hair.

Even though he suffered emotional and physical trauma, Liang was very grateful to have been rescued.

However, he confessed that he was “very happy” to have been rescued. According to his rescuer, Basnet, Liang consumed six bowls of soup during his first night at the hospital, and was very grateful.

As of now, Liang is out of danger and is gaining energy very fast.