Photo: The Beijing News

Two elderly residents were finally rescued after being trapped in a mountain in Beijing for more than 30 hours, longer than it should have been, as they stayed silent and ran from rescuers out of superstitious belief that one should not answer to strange calls of names in the mountains as they might be from ghosts or spirits in the wild, media reported on Saturday.

The two residents, aged 73 and 58, went missing while picking medicinal herbs in a mountainous wilderness area of Beijing's Huairou district, The Beijing News reported. Their disappearance was reported to the police late on July 29 after they had been lost for 16 hours, prompting an immediate search and rescue operation.

Rescuers learned that the two seniors both have hearing loss. They took no mobile phones or communication gear because there is no cell service in the mountains. After heading deep into secluded forests, they had been trapped in the mountains for 18 hours without food or water by the time the rescue operation started, the report said.

They were safely escorted down the mountain on the evening of July 30, following a 20-hour round-the-clock search and rescue operation.

After being rescued, the two elderly residents told rescuers that a local old belief warned people not to answer when hearing their names called in the wild mountains, or say they were thirsty or hungry. Because of this superstition, they remained silent even after hearing rescue teams calling for them. The two did not dare to respond in multiple potential encounters until they reached the other side of the mountain.

The belief significantly complicated the search, as rescuers repeatedly missed chances to locate the pair. Combined with the rugged terrain, slippery trails, and poor visibility at night, the superstition added major difficulties to the rescue operation, according to the report.

Folklore existed in some places in China that people, when in the wilderness, should not heed strange calls, lest they be lured astray by ghosts, or mountain and forest spirits.

Firefighters in Huairou then reminded elderly residents not to venture into mountains to work alone and not to follow outdated superstitious folk beliefs. One should shout for help boldly and follow rescuers' instructions actively when trapped outdoors to ensure personal safety, they said.


Global Times