Hikers' safety in Tibet is waken up by an avalanche

Hikers' safety in Tibet is waken up by an avalanche in Tibet happening in April 30, 2012. Avid hiker Wei Feng was in immense pain and suffering from fatigue when he was put on a stretcher Tuesday, two weeks after he was stranded in one of the world's highest altitude, deepest and most dangerous canyons.

He had surgery on his ankle Wednesday at a hospital in Nyingchi prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region, and will need at least 40 days to recuperate.

Doctors were unsure if he could still walk properly. Still, Wei is considered lucky compared with the two locals he hired as guides and porters who died in the avalanche on April 30.
Wei and his friend Sun Huitao, both from the central Henan Province, entered Yarlung Tsangpo River Canyon on April 19 with five locals from Mainling County without permission, the county government said.

The avalanche left Wei and a local seriously injured.

Sun, who managed to escape the avalanche, made his way back to the town with a local resident from the group and reported the incident on May 4.
Rescuers found the remaining three people from the group, including Wei and two locals, and provided emergency treatment last Saturday. But they were not pulled out of the canyon until Tuesday.

By then, the government-backed rescue work had lasted 12 days, involved nearly 50 people and cost at least 200,000 yuan.
Yarlung Tsangpo River Canyon, made up of glaciers and steep cliffs, is known for its mysterious beauty and draws crowds of hikers every year. It is more than 500 km long and lies at an average altitude of 3,000 meters.

Pelung, a small village with about 10 households, is a main entrance of the canyon. The villagers run several hostels for hikers who, after a good night's sleep, can enter the canyon through a hanging bridge just a few minutes walk from the village.

The subsequent rescue work caused widespread public attention. Microblog postings with real-time progress of the rescue work, quickly became popular and thousands of Internet users prayed for the hikers' survival.

Nearly 50 people joined the rescue work, including medical workers, soldiers and local villagers familiar with the canyon. They trekked more than 10 hours a day and survived mainly on snow water and tsamba, the Tibetans' staple food.

As the public hailed the hikers' survival, many also warned of the danger and lax management in outdoor activities.

"The hikers should not blindly challenge nature," said Yang Bo, deputy chief of Mainling County and head of the emergency rescue headquarters. "They should cherish their own life, and abide by laws while testing their own limits."

If you are planning to hiking in Tibet, good preparation and well plan are necessary. For foreigners, Tibet travel permit is required for trekking to restricted areas of Tibet.