Two hikers were confirmed to be dead in an accident when they were canyoneering at a waterfall in Guanling County, Southwest China's Guizhou Province.
When six hikers with an expedition club, Chiyou, went on an adventure trip to Guizhou Dripping Bank Waterfall on Saturday, two hikers from Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality were trapped by a waterfall during canyoneering, a sport that involves descending from waterfalls. On Monday, one of the trapped victims was confirmed to be dead. After 40 hours, on Tuesday, local authorities confirmed to the media that the other victim had also passed away despite rescue efforts.
According to a post on the Guanling County government's website published Monday, at 8 pm on Sunday, Guanling County Public Security Bureau received an alarm saying two people were trapped by a waterfall, and immediately started an emergency rescue with the county government office, emergency bureau, fire and rescue brigade. The initial investigation showed that two explorers had become trapped in the middle of the waterfall while canyoneering along the Dripping Bank Waterfall's third layer, which is about 130 meters high.
As extreme sports are gaining more and more popularity in China, a few natural scenic spots have become popular destinations. Known as one of China's largest waterfalls, the Dripping Bank Waterfall has become a popular attraction on online platforms such as Douyin. However, the local tourism bureau confirmed to the media that the waterfall is an undeveloped natural landscape and not part of the bureau's administration.
"If we had known beforehand they were visiting [to canyoneer], we would have warned them against it due to the risks," said a member of staff with the local government.