Wenzhou Juxi Grand Canyon Missing Donkeys Search and Rescue Operations

On the morning of June 25th, our company received a call for assistance from the command centre of the Cangnan County Public Security Bureau in Wenzhou City: a group of donkeys in Cangnan were in distress outdoors in the Juxi Grand Canyon, and a child went missing, requiring the help of rescue teams from all sides to help save the child, who had already been lost for more than 50 hours. BRS Brothers JieDeng Outdoor Products urgently organised a group of staff with experience in outdoor search and rescue to support search and rescue operations in the 72 hours of the Golden Rescue Hour. Within 72 hours of the golden rescue time, BRS Brothers Jaden Outdoor Products organised a team of staff with outdoor search and rescue experience to support the rescue operation.

Donkey crossing route map, deviation in the actual crossing, the yellow circle in the picture is the place where the child disappeared

The location where the mother and son were separated and where rescuers searched after the incident

At 12 noon on 23 June, eight Wenzhou donkeys set out from the village behind the mountain in Sisi Town, Taishun County, intending to cross the Juxi Grand Canyon and eventually arrive in Juxi Town, Cangnan County.

The eight donkeys, including a pair of mother and son from Cangnan Longgang, the child Xiaowen this year 14 years old, just graduated from primary school.

At around 6:50 that evening, Cangnan police received a report that the team of donkeys in the process of crossing the two missing, the missing 14-year-old Xiao Wen and another adult male donkey.

The search and rescue work was quickly launched. 8am on the 24th, the missing adult male donkey was found, while Xiao Wen was nowhere to be found.

Over the next two days, the search and rescue efforts were expanded and powered paragliders were deployed. But as of early this morning, only one of the child's shoes had been found.

At 6.50pm on the same day, Cangnan police received a report that the team of donkeys in the process of crossing the two missing, the missing person is 14-year-old Xiao Wen and another adult male donkey.

The search and rescue work was quickly launched. 8am on the 24th, the missing adult male donkey was found, while Xiao Wen was nowhere to be found.

Over the next two days, the search and rescue efforts were expanded and powered paragliders were deployed. But as of early this morning, only one of the child's shoes had been found. c

The terrain of the crossing route is complex

Not suitable for children

Data show that the Grand Canyon crossing line altitude of 111 metres, the highest 777 metres, the whole of about 15 kilometres, the normal walk through the need for more than five hours. The reporter saw on the Internet, almost all the outdoor adventure organisers, the difficulty of this line is set at two or three stars (five stars for the highest difficulty), the requirements of the participants are also ‘new and old donkeys are suitable’.

However, this line is suitable for the crowd, obviously not suitable for 14-year-old donkeys.

Mother and son, no experience, no equipment.

According to the rescue team members previously put into the search and rescue operation informed, Xiao Wen had heart surgery, and mother and son have no outdoor adventure experience: ‘mountaineering shoes, punching jacket, punching trousers, map, compass ...... these basic equipment are not.’

Informants also said that this is a very amateur crossing team, and even the leader is not familiar with the route.

Split up twice during the crossing

Mothers choose to go over the mountains and children choose to wade through the water

Shortly after entering the Grand Canyon, the team committed a major outdoor adventure taboo - splitting the team in two, with three people in one group and five others, including Wen's mother and son, in another group.

At the time of the detachment, the children had almost no food on them and no communication devices.

Mother called the police after coming out of the canyon

At 8 a.m. on the 24th, searchers found the male friend of Xiao Wen's mother, but the child was missing.

After receiving the report, Cangnan police immediately organised the Qiaodun police station, the town government, Juxi (Tianjing) community authorities, forest rangers and nearby villagers comprising a 50-person rescue team divided into three groups to the Grand Canyon rescue. The search and rescue teams searched along the streams and narrow mountain paths in accordance with the arranged search and rescue directions. The darkness of the road and the turbulent water caused by the heavy rain made the search and rescue work very difficult. After several hours of trekking, a missing donkey was found at 8.30am on the 24th.

‘At that time the place was higher and the little kid couldn't get down, so I let him wait there.’ According to the man, the 14-year-old boy is in good physical condition and his general location has been determined. After getting the news, the rescue team also concentrated on personnel to conduct a comprehensive search of the area in a desperate attempt to rescue the missing boy. Due to the complex terrain of the Juxi Grand Canyon, the mountainous terrain is treacherous, the search and rescue range is large, the rapid streams and treacherous mountain roads seriously hinder the search and rescue process, increasing the difficulty of the search and rescue, at this time, the search and rescue work seems more urgent.

A withdrawal from the rest of the team of civil public welfare rescue vehicles and we will meet and pass, they have zhejiang blue sky rescue team, wenzhou blue sky rescue team, zhejiang wild rescue team, one plus one rescue team, wenzhou mountain emergency rescue and so on.

At 16:00 on the afternoon of the 25th, our company organised rescue personnel to arrive at the Juxi Emergency Rescue Command to report and participate in search and rescue operations.

On the night of the 25th, two reporters from Zhejiang Satellite Television Xiaoqiang Hotline went into the mountains alone to shoot a dangerous trapped one reporter was found and rescued that night, and another reporter was found and rescued by One Plus One rescue team in the early hours of the next morning.

Civilian rescue teams from all over the world are rushing to the first-line rescue site.

Suggested donkeys do not in the case of no equipment, no experience, no leader to participate in the canyon and other difficulty coefficient of the danger of crossing the line!

In front of nature, we are so small, life is the most valuable, let us pray for the children hope that the miracle will happen!