TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An Indonesian couple on the verge of hypothermia had to call the police and communicate through Google Translate to get help near the Northern Peak of Qilai Mountain early Wednesday morning (Jan. 25).
Liberty Times reported that the couple, whose descent from the peak had been delayed due to bad weather, decided to set up a tent at the entrance of the trail to stay warm. However, due to a cold spell potent enough to bring snow to several north Taiwan mountains, the temperature on Qilai Mountain dropped to as low as 2.9 degrees Celsius.
Unable to withstand the cold, the couple called the police at around midnight and communicated that they were “hiking,” “cold,” and “had no room to stay.” However, though the police at Hehuan Police Station were able to identify that they were Indonesian, the two parties had difficulty understanding each other.
The couple almost gave up on trying to tell the police their location, saying, “Never mind, we’ll just stay here.”
Considering that the temperature at the police station, which was located at an altitude of 2,375 meters, was 5 C, officers worried the under prepared couple would freeze to death because it could only be colder at Songsyue Lodge, located not far from trails and at a 3,150-m altitude. The station’s chief and deputy chief therefore drove up to the lodge in search of them.
When they failed to find the couple around Songsyue Lodge, they called with one phone while having Google Translate read out, “Are you at the trailhead of Qilai Mountain?” in Indonesian on another phone. The couple quickly responded "yes," which finally helped the police locate and rescue them.
After driving the couple back to the police station and providing them with hot tea to warm up, the police learned the pair frequently hike the peaks of Hehuanshan and had a certain degree of hiking skills.
They became trapped this time because they did not anticipate temperatures would drop so rapidly, and by the time they reached the trailhead, it was already dark. They thanked the police for helping them despite the late hour.
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