A woman who fell into a swollen river while hiking one of Taiwan's toughest mountain routes has been spotted lying in a ravine by a search drone, and rescuers have not yet reached her.

• She was hiking the Mabo Traverse with three others and slipped into a river near Hualien after heavy rain made the water rise fast.
• Her three companions were found safe last night and helped down the mountain.
• A second team of 13 rescuers went in at dawn and searched along the ravine on foot.
• A drone found someone lying in the Fengping River valley, but rescuers have not reached the person, so their condition is unknown.
• The route is one of Taiwan's four hardest, running 85 kilometers along the Central Mountain Range past several steep cliffs.

Outlook: Bad weather in the mountains will decide how quickly rescuers can reach her and confirm whether she is alive.