A Taiwanese man was rescued Wednesday after spending 47 days stranded in a remote part of the Himalayas, just days after his girlfriend died of starvation.
Liang Sheng Yueh, 21, and Liu Chen Chun, 19, were hiking through the Ganesh Himal Trail in northwestern Nepal in March when they lost their way because of a snow storm.
The couple followed a river hoping it led to a village. However, they slipped and fell over a waterfall and landed on a rocky ledge where they were unable to climb up or down.
They had no guides and carried all their provisions including food, tent and sleeping bags. Their food lasted two weeks. Then they only had salt to eat and water to drink.
After the couple was noted as missing, rescue crews canvassed the area for two weeks before suspending the search. They started looking again April 20.
Rescuers spotted a red tent Wednesday. Yueh’s feet were filled with maggots. His head full of lice. He had lost about 66 pounds. He was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Kathmandu where he is recovering well.
Chun died three days earlier, he said. Her body was taken to the hospital for an autopsy, according to Reuters.
“Despite having to live like that for 47 days, he appears to be mostly normal,” said Ajay Singh Thapa, a doctor at the Grande Hospital.
Yueh said that despite everything, he never gave up hope.
“I feel very happy now,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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