Went to Ancestral Grave, Lost in Hills... Son Found Using 'Drone'

[Image source = Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] On the 27th, the Chungbuk Fire Headquarters reported that they rescued a man in his 30s who went missing after visiting ancestral graves before Chuseok by deploying a drone. An official stated that they plan to expand the use of drones, which have high mobility, to prevent accidents and enable early disaster response.

According to the Chungbuk Fire Headquarters, a report was received around noon on the 26th that a man in his 30s, Mr. A, went missing on Gukmangsan Mountain in Noeun-myeon, Chungju City.

Mr. A, who is known to have a disability, had gone up a hill with his father to visit ancestral graves before Chuseok and got lost.

With about 40 personnel including fire and police teams deployed for the search, the Chungbuk Fire Headquarters’ rapid response team launched a drone to track his movements. Around 2 p.m., they found Mr. A wandering in the mountains, received his location and estimated route, and successfully rescued him safely.

The Chungbuk Fire Headquarters has been operating drones since January to respond quickly to disaster sites. So far this year, drones have been deployed in 67 cases at disaster sites, including searches for missing persons in flood-affected areas during the first half of the year.

An official from the Chungbuk Fire Headquarters said, "We plan to expand the operation of drones with high mobility to prevent accidents and enable early disaster suppression."

Meanwhile, drones are expected to play a crucial role in firefighting activities where site access is difficult. On the 17th, the Cheonan Dongnam Fire Station in Chungnam successfully rescued a missing person using a drone. On the 23rd, the Seosan Fire Station also deployed a drone for a tanker rollover accident and conducted a life rescue operation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.