Kathmandu - A Taiwan hiker rescued 47
days after disappearing in the foothills of the Himalayas and
just days after his girlfriend died is recovering well in
hospital in the Nepali capital of Kathmandu, his doctor said on
Friday.
Liang Sheng-yueh, who turned 21 on Friday, went missing with
girlfriend Liu Chen-chun, 19, in early March while they were
trekking in the remote Ganesh Himal area in northwestern Nepal.
Liang, his feet riddled with maggots and his hair infested
with lice, was picked up by a rescue helicopter on Wednesday.
The body of Liu, who died this week, was taken to hospital for a
post mortem.
"I feel very happy now," a confused-looking Liang, his head
shaved, told reporters after cutting a birthday cake from his
hospital bed, adding that he had not lost hope during his
ordeal.
The trekkers lost their trail after a snowstorm. They had no
local guide or porter. Liang and Liu survived on snow, water and
salt he was carrying, but Liu eventually died from starvation.
"He has started taking normal food and is walking with the
help of physiotherapists," said Chakra Raj Pandey, medical
director at the Grande International Hospital.
Tens of thousands of foreign hikers who visit Nepal every
year are a key source of income in the cash-strapped nation that
is home to Mount Everest.