A climber who became famous for taking photos of herself on top of mountains wearing just a bikini has died after falling into a ravine in Taiwan.
Gigi Wu, 36, also known as the "Bikini Hiker" was found dead by rescue services after falling more than 65 feet into a valley near Mabolasi Mountain in Nantou County.
According to Taiwan News, Wu used a satellite phone on January 19 to call for help after she suffered injuries during her fall. The National Airborne Service Corps said they were unable to locate her using Black Hawk rescue helicopters on three separate occasions due to poor weather.
Wu's body was eventually found close to where her distress beacon was sent from by the Nantou County Fire Department after they resumed the search on foot.
In a message to the Nantou fire service, Wu said she had become trapped because of her fall. Commander Lin Cheng-I, of the Nantou County Fire Department's Third Squadron, said Wu's distress beacon was activated at around 5,577 ft above sea level.
She is believed to have died of hypothermia as temperatures plummeted to around 35 degrees while she was trapped on the mountain, reports the Daily Mail.
The rescue team are reported to have been waiting until the weather improves before attempting to airlift the 36-year-old's body from the mountain.
Wu gained thousands of fans online by sharing pictures of herself on some of Taiwan's highest peaks wearing a bikini.
She said the idea came about after she lost a bet with a friend and her resulting punishment was to take pictures in a bikini on top of a mountain. She claims to have completed around 100 hikes and worn at least 97 different bikinis over the past four years, reports the Focus Taiwan News Channel.
According to Apple Daily, Wu entered the mountain range in Yushan National Park on January 11. She was attempting a 25-day solo hike from Nanhua Mountain to Mount Cho-she, according to a Facebook post on December 24.
She claimed that she had spent a total of 127 days throughout 2018 hiking on mountains, reports Apple Daily.
Wu previously shared on image on Facebook of her heavily cut and bruised legs which she said were sustained during another fall.
Social media users have paid tribute to the 36-year-old on her Facebook page following news of her death.
"RIP, may you still be happy in another world to climb the mountain to be yourself," wrote Wurm Liang.
"Thank you for your courage to bring the beautiful scenery," added Lin Rich.
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