TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The remains of a person missing since the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Taiwan on April 3, 2024, have been discovered in Hualien County.

On Jan. 11, a man hiking near Taroko Gorge found what he believed to be human remains about 1.5 kilometers from the Shakadang Trail, according to UDN. After authorities analyzed the bones, they confirmed they belonged to 47-year-old Singaporean-Australian tourist Sim Hwee Kok, who had been declared missing after the devastating earthquake.

Sim and his wife, Neo Siew Choo, were the only two people reported missing after the disaster whom authorities had not been able to locate. On Jan. 24, police confirmed Sim’s identity by matching DNA from the remains with a sample provided by his son, who had traveled to Taiwan after the quake to search for his father.

Authorities believe the couple was caught in a landslide on the Shakadang Trail during the earthquake, and Sim’s remains were carried down into the ravine by falling debris. Over the past nine months, the rise and fall of the river unearthed the remains and deposited them several dozen meters downstream.

Search efforts in the area have yet to uncover Neo’s remains. Following the DNA confirmation, local authorities informed Sim’s family of the discovery.

In April, family members and local officials held a religious ceremony for the couple after the search was suspended due to safety concerns. In late 2024, the family requested the deaths of Sim and Neo be legally confirmed, which was granted by a Hualien court. Their official time of death was set as noon on April 3, 2024, the day of the earthquake, per UDN.

With the discovery of Sim's remains, his wife is the only person who remains missing as a result of the earthquake. There is, however, a separate case of a missing German tourist, Ralf Klausnitzer, who disappeared in the same area in late March 2024. Authorities have determined that his disappearance was not directly related to the earthquake.