Black Hawk Helicopters Complete 66 Flights to Rescue 18 People, Advancing Alpine Lake Monitoring

By the end of August, when the Matai'an Creek landslide‑dammed lake in Hualien County had already released its water, the Airborne Corps officially announced today that since July of the previous year it had dispatched 66 Black Eagle helicopter sorties to conduct rescue operations, successfully extracting 18 trapped individuals. In a historic first, the Corps also used a helicopter to deploy water‑level gauges on the surface of a high‑mountain dammed lake, setting a new benchmark for disaster monitoring in Taiwan’s highland regions.

Matai'an Creek lies within Hualien County and, due to its complex terrain and loose, slip‑prone soil, has repeatedly experienced flash floods and the formation of dammed lakes. Over the past decade, heavy rains have caused several such lakes to accumulate water, posing potential risks to neighboring communities. In 2019, the government and local organizations began a comprehensive risk assessment of the basin, planning regular patrols and a disaster warning system.

During this rescue mission, the Black Eagle helicopter flew low‑altitude sorties guided by terrain and weather conditions, rapidly reaching the trapped sites and using