A woman on a four-person hiking team died in Hualien after heavy rain swelled a mountain stream, a warning about how fast weather turns in Taiwan's high country.

• The group entered the mountains from Nantou on Aug. 18 and was due to finish in Hualien on Aug. 24.
• A tropical low brought days of downpours, and a stream near the old Yulin Bridge site rose fast and swept one hiker away.
• The other three were trapped and sent a distress signal through a satellite device; rescuers reached them safely that night.
• Drones located the missing hiker the next morning, and her body was carried down that afternoon by a team of 26 firefighters, volunteers, forestry rangers, police, and mountain rescue.
• No typhoon warning was in force when they set out, but rain topped 300 mm in 24 hours, and officials had no record of the trip because it started from the other side of the range.

Outlook: Hualien authorities are urging hikers to check rainfall forecasts, file trip plans, and turn back immediately when streams start rising.