Mountain Accidents in Jeonnam Concentrated in Spring... Avoid Excessive Hiking

Jeonnam Fire Headquarters Analyzes Five Years of Rescue Operations
Accidents Concentrated on Weekends in March and October
Main Cause: Hiking Without Considering Usual Physical Condition

Firefighters are rescuing a person who got stranded after climbing a mountain. Provided by Jeonnam Province

According to analysis, a significant number of recent mountain accidents in the Jeonnam region have occurred mainly on weekends during the spring and fall.

According to the Jeonnam Fire Headquarters on the 17th, an analysis of mountain accident statistics over the past five years (2020-2024) showed a total of 2,144 rescue operations (an annual average of 429 cases), during which 10,260 people (an annual average of 2,052 people) were rescued.

By type of rescue, the most common case was people getting lost during hiking, accounting for 27% (578 cases). This was followed by slips and falls at 21% (450 cases), personal illnesses at 9% (190 cases), and then dehydration, exhaustion, falling rocks, hypothermia, and so on.

By day of the week, 50.2% (1,076 cases) of all mountain accidents occurred on weekends, and 52.5% (633 people) of casualties also happened during weekends. By time of day, the number of casualties began to rise from 9 a.m., peaking between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. By month, the proportion of mountain accidents was higher in March and October, which mark the start of spring and fall when the number of hikers increases due to attractions like spring flowers and autumn foliage.

It is presumed that many of these accidents happened when people who do not usually hike attempted strenuous hikes. In particular, in March, as the frozen ground thaws and the ground becomes weaker, safety accidents such as falling rocks, slips, and falls occur more frequently, so hikers are advised to be especially cautious.

Choi Hyeongho, head of the Rescue and Emergency Department at the Jeonnam Fire Headquarters, emphasized, "Before hiking, be sure to check your physical condition and use designated trails. Avoid excessive hiking, and if an emergency occurs, promptly call 119."

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