Missing Taiwanese Hiker Found After 47 Days Lost in the Himalayas

A Taiwanese trekker missing for 47 days in Nepal’s remote Himalaya mountains has been found alive, but his girlfriend who accompanied him died just three days before he was rescued.

Liang Sheng-yueh, 21, and his girlfriend Liu Chen-chun, 18, had been missing since March 10, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reports. The two had set out on March 8 to trek through the Dhading region’s Tipling and Pangsang Pass. Reportedly going against advice from their tour agency, the couple did not employ a local guide.

According to the Himalayan Times, Liang and Liu became “trapped on a precipice” after heavy snowfall hit the region.

Local media reports that Liang is currently recovering in an Intensive Care Unit in the capital Kathmandu, after being airlifted to safety. Doctors said he had lost 30 kg since going missing more than a month ago, and was found with maggots infesting his foot, according to Agence France-Presse.

It is believed that the couple survived by eating snow and salt after their food ran out.

[CNA]