A 25-year-old Singaporean man named James fell approximately 7 meters from a slope while rock climbing at Dragon Caves (Longdong) in Gongliao District, New Taipei City, Taiwan, on May 16, 2026, during a morning climb [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. The rock climbing site is about a one-hour drive northeast of Taipei and is popular for climbing and snorkeling [1, 2, 3, 4, 7].
James sustained injuries to his head and hands, with reported bleeding. He was conscious at rescue and hospitalization, although some reports said he responded only to pain stimuli [1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 5, 10, 6, 7].
Emergency services were alerted at 11:19 a.m. New Taipei City Fire Department coordinated a difficult two-hour rescue due to rugged terrain [1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 5, 6, 7]. Rescue workers used a stretcher relay to carry the injured climber from the rocky slopes to a waiting ambulance. He was then transported to Keelung Hospital for treatment [1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 5, 6, 7].
The cause of the fall and whether James was wearing proper safety gear remain under investigation [1, 2, 3, 9, 5, 6]. There was some disagreement on the fall height, with some sources stating about 7 meters and others citing up to 10 meters [1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 5, 10, 6, 11, 7].
This incident follows a fatal accident at the same site on May 2, when a 44-year-old local woman fell about 10 meters and died from her injuries [1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 5, 11, 7].
Rescue authorities continue to examine safety conditions at Dragon Caves after two serious falls within two weeks. James remains under care at Keelung Hospital with his condition under observation.
