Missing backpacker found dead in Xinjiang

The body of a female backpacker who disappeared when hiking at Kanas scenic spot in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region more than a week ago was found in a river near Kanas Lake on Tuesday, the Altay tourism bureau said.

A team of searchers - a police officer and five local herdsmen - found the body on Tuesday afternoon.

A preliminary investigation showed that she may have died after accidentally falling into the river.

The woman, Ren Aner, 20, was a junior at Guangzhou Panyu Polytechnic, a college in Guangdong province. She arrived in Xinjiang on Sept 16 with three other backpackers, two men and a woman.

The four started heading to the Kanas scenic spot in northern Xinjiang on Sept 19, but lost their way after four days.

They decided to separate, with the two men going to find help. Ren accompanied the other woman, Hao Liting, who was suffering from frostbite on her feet.

Hao said she and Ren struggled to walk in the snow for several days, but her injuries prevented her from going fast.

On Sept 27, Ren wanted to climb high on a mountain to check out the terrain, asking Hao to follow.

"However, she walked too fast and I soon fell far behind," Hao said. "I was scared and called her name several times but received no response."

Hao said she backtracked down the mountain and was rescued that night. The two male backpackers were found two days earlier, after they managed to call the police.

Ren Xiaohong, the dead woman's mother, told Southern Metropolis Daily that her daughter loved nature and travel since she was a child.

"She seldom traveled alone. Rather, she often joined a team of backpackers and they would hike together," she said, adding that her daughter told her about the Xinjiang trip but didn't provide details such as the route and schedule.

zhaoxinying@chinadaily.com.cn