‘Strictly forbidden’: China warns hikers off Aotai Line after 3 die on infamous trail
Group reportedly switched phones to flight mode while in restricted area, hampering emergency contact and rescuers’ attempts to find them
“It is strictly forbidden to conduct unauthorised hiking traverses and similar activities [on the Aotai trail],” the General Administration of Sport’s mountaineering management centre said in a notice on Friday.
“Recently, five individuals undertook an unauthorised crossing of the Qinling’s Aotai Line, resulting in three fatalities and attracting public attention.”
The Aotai Line in Shaanxi province connects the Qinling mountain range’s highest peak, Mount Taibai, at an elevation of 3,767 metres (12,359 feet), with Mount Ao (3,476 metres).
The warning came four days after the Taibai county government said five hikers had “illegally entered the Aotai Line” in the early hours of January 2.
It said one hiker descended the following day, while the other four were missing. A government-organised rescue team later found three hikers had died, the youngest of whom was 19 years old. One survivor was rescued, according to the county government.
China’s national emergency broadcasting centre, which is affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV, interviewed rescuer Tang Xinlong on Saturday who said the hikers had switched their phones to flight mode “at their guide’s request” to avoid being tracked within the restricted zone.
This prevented them from sending timely emergency signals and hindered police efforts to swiftly pinpoint their location, Tang said, adding that the hikers had encountered heavy fog and snow, leading to hypothermia. One victim died after falling from a cliff, according to Tang.