Two foreign men in their 20s were struck by falling rocks Sunday morning while hiking near Gongnyong Ridge on Seoraksan in Yongdae-ri, Buk-myeon, Inje-gun, at around 9:45 a.m. — the final day of the Hangul Day holiday weekend.
The two men complained of head injuries and pain in their left arms. They were rescued by a fire department helicopter and taken to a hospital, Yonhap said.
At around 10:06 a.m., a man in his 60s reported pain at the summit of Birobong Peak on Odaesan in Dongsan-ri, Jinbu-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, and was airlifted to a hospital by a fire department helicopter.
At around 12:13 p.m., a woman in her 50s hiking from Yeongsiam to Oseam in Yongdae-ri, Buk-myeon, Inje-gun, was rescued by helicopter after injuring her ankle.
Mountain rescue call-outs have risen alongside an increase in autumn hikers. The Gangwon Province fire department said it responded to 313 mountain accident calls from last month through Oct. 6, up 55 cases, or 21.3 percent, from 258 during the same period last year.
mss@heraldcorp.com
