A man in his 30s was rescued on May 1 after surviving for five days stranded on Mudeungsan in Gwangju with only two bottles of water, police said.
According to Gwangju Seobu Police Station, the man’s family filed a missing persons report on April 27 after he failed to return home from a walk. He had left his cellphone at home, making it impossible for his family to contact him.
Police launched an investigation and found surveillance camera footage showing him taking a taxi from Ssangchon intersection shortly after leaving his home in Hwajeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju. He was later seen near a hiking trail leading toward Saeinbong Peak.
Believing that he may have become stranded in the mountains, police dispatched search teams and deployed drones and search dogs.
Over the following days, officers continued the search while narrowing down the areas where he was most likely to be found.
On the fifth day after his disappearance, officers found him collapsed off a hiking trail. He was severely dehydrated and exhausted after surviving for days with only two bottles of water, police said.
Police believe the man, who was reportedly in poor health, collapsed during the hike and was unable to move afterward.
He was taken to a nearby hospital where he is recovering from treatment.
minjungcha@heraldcorp.com
