One of the two Taiwanese trekkers who had gone missing in Nepal 47 days ago was rescued in the Himalayas on Tuesday. High-altitude rescuers found 21-year-old Liang Sheng Yueh sleeping in a canyon in Dhading district, while the body of his 19-year-old girlfriend, Liu Chen Chun, was found nearby, BBC reported.

The couple had gotten stuck at the edge of a waterfall in their search for a village, rescuer Madhav Basnyat told AFP. Liang is believed to have lost 30 kg since he was reported missing and was found with lice in his hair and a foot infested with maggots.

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Officials said the Taiwanese man appears to have survived on water and salt. “He can speak slowly. He told me his girlfriend died three days ago. He does not have trauma injuries, but his body has injuries stemming from worm bites,” Dr Sanjaya Karki told BBC.

The couple, students at Taiwan’s National Dong Hwa University, had started their trek despite heavy snowfall. Their earlier Facebook posts indicated trouble over missing luggage and arguments over “trivial matters”, website Missingtrekker.com reported. “I wish I had never ended up here,” Liu had written in a Facebook post.