News Beat
Shock moment clueless tourist staring at his phone is knocked down mountainside by mule carrying cargo up path
THIS is the moment a preoccupied tourist was knocked off a mountain path by a pack mule.
The moment was caught on camera by another hiker, who captured the split second the mule knocked the man down the steep hill.
In the video, the man can be seen staring at his phone while walking on the edge of a narrow stone path on the climb up to the Caishen Temple on Beigao Peak on December 26.
The mountain-side temple is in the city of Hangzhou, in the Zhejiang province in China.
As an elderly handler and the mule that was carrying multiple bags strapped to its back walked past the tourist, one of the side bags knocked him from behind.
The bump caused the man to lose balance.
He then attempted to stop the fall, throwing his arms in front of him.
Despite his best efforts, the momentum caused him to somersault forward down the mountain, rolling through trees and foliage.
His tumble came to a stop when the steep slope met with a lower part of the trail.
Witnesses to his fall reportedly rushed to his aid and called for emergency services.
An ambulance later took him to hospital for treatment.
He was injured in the fall, however an update on his condition has not been revealed.
The section of the Beigao Peak leading up to the temple includes many narrow and steep paths where pack animals are regularly used to transport goods.
Local authorities said patrols are undertaken twice a day by police officers, volunteers and security staff to check safety signage and emergency equipment.
The footage has triggered widespread debate online, over both visitor safety management and the risks of using phones while walking on hazardous trails.
The man’s fall comes after a woman fell from a popular Australian hiking trail, narrowly avoiding death.
The 31-year-old tourist fell 20ft at Bushrangers Bay near the Mornington Peninsula – south of Melbourne.
Emergency services rushed to the scene to begin a rescue mission, before the woman was airlifted to a Melbourne hospital.
She was later treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Paramedic Jo Wilton said: “She was missing her teeth, so we believe she may have had a head injury as well”.
“On further inspection, it looks like a hip injury, a wrist injury,” Wilton said.
