A thermal drone helped rescuers locate a man who was swept away by a flooded stream.

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Rescue teams in eastern Taiwan located and saved a construction site supervisor who was swept away by surging waters in the Matai'an River, using a drone equipped with thermal imaging to detect signs of life in darkness.

The man was found partially trapped in deep mud, unable to move as the ground beneath him continued to sink. Rescuers said faint movements and breathing confirmed he was still alive, more than a day after he went missing. A submerged log beneath his body likely prevented him from sinking further.

Search teams pressed on despite poor visibility, eventually spotting a human-shaped heat signature from above. “We see him directly below the drone,” a rescuer said during the operation. Crews reached the man after nearly three hours, but their inflatable boat briefly became stuck in the mud's suction.

Nearly 50 personnel, including firefighters and volunteers, joined the effort with ropes, lighting equipment, and two boats, while contractors deployed heavy machinery. The man was pulled to safety around 4 a.m. with mild hypothermia and a suspected minor head injury. Officials said he was conscious and in stable condition after treatment.