TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An 81-year-old man who had been missing for a week was found alive on Saturday (Aug. 17).
The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), who lives in Houzhuang in Chiayi County’s Zhongpu Township, ventured out on his bicycle early on Aug. 11 but never returned home, according to TTV News. His family and a search and rescue association reviewed surveillance footage along his suspected route to locate him.
At noon on Saturday, Tseng was found lying in an orchard by a river in the Sanjiaotan area of Tainan City’s Baihe District. He was lying in the mud, waiting for rescue and suffering from hypothermia, but he did not have any serious injuries.

The elderly man appeared very weak when he was found in the muddy orchard. Family members and rescue personnel arrived to comfort him and carefully used a stretcher to transport him to the hospital.
The man, who suffers from dementia and chronic illnesses, was found in a remote area 10 kilometers from his home and about 50 meters from the nearest road, according to FTV News. His bicycle had fallen into a ravine.
Regarding the location where Tseng was found, Huang Tsung-ming (黃聰明), counselor and director of the Chiayi County Rescue Association, said, “It seemed impossible to everyone because it’s a very long distance to get into that area. How could he have ridden his bicycle so far away?” Rescue team members who found Tseng described his survival as “truly a miracle.”

Tseng’s family members said there was nothing for him to eat in that desolate area, as it was just riverbed mud. They were amazed that he survived so many days in such conditions.

