Rescuers put the injured tourist on a stretcher during the first drill of China's first mountain rescue team on Saturday, January 5, 2008. [Photo: Beijing Morning Post]

Rescuers send the injured tourist down the hill via a strop during a drill of China's first mountain rescue team on Saturday, January 5, 2008. [Photo: Beijing Morning Post]

A climber stumbled off the slope and broke his leg near the top of Xiangshan Hill (Fragrant Hill) in Beijing's northwestern suburbs...Upon receiving SOS messages from the trapped tourist's cell phone, three rescue teams set off from different areas in the city and successfully brought him to safety in three hours.

Don't worry, the above case is not real. That's what happened in the first drill of the Mountain Rescue Team under the Promotion Center for Emergency Assistance (PCEA) of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The Beijing Morning Post reported that the Mountain Rescue Team, the first outdoor emergency assistance organization in China, would be formally set up this March to provide aid to outdoor sports lovers who might find themselves in trouble.

The rescue team has 25 crew members. During the drill, they were divided into three groups and approached the "injured climber" from three different locations. Each team had its own responsibilities. The first team was in charge of "search and locate"; the second team took care of the stretcher and medical aid; and the third team acted as back-ups to take over jobs of exhausted crew members in the first two teams.

The total rescue process took about three and half hours and the "injured tourist" was taken down the hill on a stretcher, his broken leg bound with rescuers' alpenstocks.

Wang Xin, captain of the rescue team, said professional rescue crews not only could provide professional physical aid but also confidence and comfort to the trapped tourists, which are also vital to the survival of the victims.

As outdoor sports are gaining momentum in the country, the Ministry of Civil Affairs set up the rescue team in light of the rising number of cases of tourist or explorer injuries or even deaths. The rescue team is currently applying for a hotline number from relevant departments and will publicize the number in March.

(CRI January 7, 2008)