Christiaan undergoing medical checkup after his rescue. — Photo from Lào Cai Newspaper

LÀO CAI — Authorities in the northern province Lào Cai said they had successfully located and rescued a Dutch tourist who went missing overnight while hiking Mount Fansipan, dubbed the Roof of Indochina.

The 60-year-old man, identified only as Christiaan, begun his ascent at 9am on March 3. His last communication was a message to his wife, Nathalie Margaretha Carola, at 4.11 pm, informing her that his phone battery was running low and that he might have to spend the night in the forest. When she was unable to reach him afterwards, she reported his disappearance to the local authorities.

At approximately 3am on March 4, the Hoàng Liên Commune Police received her report, prompting an immediate search and rescue operation. The Hoàng Liên Commune Command for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue mobilised a team consisting of local police officers, security personnel, commune officials, military forces, forest rangers and village defence units.

The search effort was divided into two teams of 14 people, setting out at 4am. One team followed a trail from Sín Chải Village, while the other took a route from Trạm Tôn and Núi Xẻ in Hoàng Liên National Park.

By 7.30am, two additional search teams, consisting of 12 members, were deployed. One team scoured the trail along the stream from Cát Cát village toward the summit, while the other conducted an aerial search via the Fansipan cable car system.

After hours of searching, the rescue team found Christiaan at Sín Chải village in Hoàng Liên Commune. Fortunately, he was in stable condition and was safely escorted back to safety.

Authorities have issued a reminder to tourists planning to climb Mount Fansipan to thoroughly research the terrain and weather conditions, ensure they are physically prepared and are carrying essential equipment before embarking on their trek. — VNS