Xiao Hongsho
This scren grab shows tourists trapped on a rock climbing trail in eastern China during the Labor Day long weekend.
CNN
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Mount Everest is not the only mountain in the world that is overcrowded.
Earlier this week, a group of tourists climbing Mount Yanfan in eastern China were stuck halfway up the cliff for more than an hour, clinging to a rope along a fixed climbing route.
Image of a climber hanging on a cliff waiting for other climbers to proceed along a via ferrata (a metal rung fixed to the mountain) – quickly spread on Chinese social media.
“This is scary! If you’re afraid of heights like me, you might wet your bed in there!” one Chinese online commenter wrote.
“I don’t want to go even if I’m offered cash,” said another.
Another commenter asked what would happen if one of the climbers fell and needed rescue, but it was shown that all were wearing helmets, harnesses, and safety gear.
Wenzhou Dingcheng Sports Development Co., Ltd., which manages the via ferrata, said it had underestimated the number of people interested in climbing.
“Due to misjudgment of visitor numbers, lack of effective traffic controls such as a ticket reservation system, and poor site management, customers were blocked and trapped along the climbing route,” the company said in a statement.
The company added that it has temporarily suspended ticket sales while it deals with the situation internally, and plans to introduce a traffic control system for visitors in the future.
Yanfan Mountain is located approximately 410 km (255 miles) south of Shanghai in Zhejiang Province and is 1150 meters (3,773 feet) high.
The first week of May was China’s Labor Day holiday, which contributed to the large number of tourists visiting the region.
A popular destination for Chinese holidaymakers, Yanfan Mountain was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001 and remains on the Tentative List.
