Pingtung County, Taiwan (November 22, 2025)— Three tourists were seriously injured this afternoon at the Lion King Waterfall located in the Jiupaiwan Tribe of Majia Township, prompting an emergency mountain rescue and an airlift operation due to challenging terrain conditions.
According to the Pingtung County Fire Department, authorities received a report at 1:33 p.m. from the Majia Police Station regarding individuals requiring urgent assistance roughly 100 meters below the waterfall. In response, six vehicles and fourteen rescue personnel from the Sandimen, Majia, Special Search and Rescue, and First Brigade units were dispatched under the leadership of First Brigade Captain Chen Kun-wu.
Rescue teams reached the site at 3:29 p.m. and found three injured individuals — all conscious but sustaining significant trauma. One male tourist suffered a fractured right femur along with a head injury, another male sustained a fractured kneecap, and a female tourist was suspected to have a skull base fracture.
Firefighters faced extreme difficulty navigating the steep, gravel-covered trail. The unstable terrain made it nearly impossible to safely transport the injured down the mountain on stretchers. After assessing the situation, rescuers immediately requested helicopter support from the National Air Service Corps.
Weather conditions were favorable, with clear skies and good visibility. At 5:05 p.m., Captain Chen confirmed that the Air Service Corps successfully hoisted all three injured tourists from the site. By 5:15 p.m., the helicopter had landed at the Changzhi Special Search and Rescue Team base, where waiting ambulances from Linluo, Pingtung, and Changzhi transported the patients to Pingtung Christian Hospital for further treatment.
Authorities remind visitors to exercise caution when hiking in remote or rugged mountain areas, especially near waterfalls where paths can be slippery and unstable.