Source:
https://scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2114102/chinese-tourists-trapped-flash-flooding-canyon
China

Chinese tourists trapped by flash flooding in canyon

Firefighters rescue 24 people who were rafting at a popular attraction when heavy rains caused a sudden surge in water levels

Firecrews came to the rescue of 24 rafters who became trapped in Wuzhishan Red Canyon in Hainan. Photo: news.china.com

Firefighters on a southern Chinese island have rescued 24 tourists who were trapped after heavy rains caused flooding in a canyon.

It was the latest in a series of rescue operations across the country as hundreds of millions of Chinese go away for the “golden week” holiday.

On Wednesday, unexpected heavy rains and quickly rising water levels trapped 24 tourists who were rafting at the Wuzhishan Red Canyon in Hainan, Chinanews.com reported.

The tourists were trapped in four different places in the canyon and six of them found themselves stuck at the bottom of a cliff with no means of escape.

It took firefighters 4½ hours to set up rescue ropes across the river to pull the stranded tourists to safety.

Also on Wednesday, police officers in Lijiang, a tourist city in the northwest of Yunnan province, rescued a young man who spent a night lost on a mountain.

Thepaper.cn reported that the man, Zhang Da, a 20-year-old college student from Sichuan province, had been visiting Jade Water Village, a popular tourist attraction with three friends.

They had planned to climb a nearby mountain but Zhang grew bored of waiting for his friends and decided to set off on his own at around 3pm without telling the others.

But at around 7pm, Zhang called the police because he got lost and the battery on his phone was almost dead.

Rescuers searched a mountain overnight for a missing student. Photo: Thepaper.cn
Rescuers searched a mountain overnight for a missing student. Photo: Thepaper.cn

Around 40 police and firefighters conducted an 11-hour search for Zhang in the woods and mountains near the village overnight and located him at 8am the next morning.

According to the report, Zhang had kept walking in the almost freezing temperatures in the hope of finding the rescue team and later sheltered in bushes. He had a coat, some mooncakes and sweets to help him through the night.

“I was scared and cold, but awake. I just hid there and waited until the dawn to come out,” Zhang was quoted as saying.