Stranded Aussie hiker uses saxophone to alert rescue crews after spending week missing in remote Taiwan mountains
An Australian man who was missing for a week in a remote mountainous area of Taiwan has survived the ordeal and revealed how he used his saxophone to help rescuers locate him.
The 50-year-old man, known only as Matthew, was trapped for days on a cliff in the eastern Coast Range near Taitung, on Taiwan’s southeast coast.
According to local media reports, Matthew was hiking above the cliff area but became stranded after going down a valley.
His first raise started after an argument with his wife.
The Taitung District Fire Bureau deployed rescue teams, including volunteer firefighters and forest personnel, after receiving a missing person report last Monday.
Speaking to 7News, Matthew explained that during the time he went missing, he “spent most of his time praying, reading his Bible, and playing music.”
He eventually used his saxophone to alert rescuers to his location.
Rescue efforts were complicated by heavy rain and unstable terrain, officials said.
“Drones were used to air-drop food and supplies to Matthew while rescue teams advanced on foot from two directions,” Taitung County Fire Bureau said, according to the Taipei Times.
“Rescue teams reached Matthew on Thursday evening, but rain, dense vegetation and treacherous terrain forced them to camp overnight before taking them down the mountain yesterday.”
Miraculously, Matthew escaped unharmed.
“It’s a miracle. Thank you, Taiwan,” he told 7News.
