Editorial | Safety of Hong Kong’s hikers rests on following the rules
- Deaths in Hong Kong country park are a sad reminder of risks involved in entering the city’s famed green wilderness
Hong Kong’s country parks are great attractions for visitors and residents alike. With hundreds of kilometres of trails stretching around the island and into the New Territories, it is easy to escape from the 7.5 million people living here to find peace and solitude on a well-maintained path.
It is common to see wild boars, monkeys, snakes and insects, while black kites circle the skies hunting for prey.
Yet we are reminded all too often that the Hong Kong wilderness can be a treacherous place. On Sunday, a mainland tourist died after falling off a cliff in Lion Rock Country Park. The 37-year-old man, who fell while climbing, was airlifted to hospital in Chai Wan, only to be pronounced dead.
That same day, a 62-year-old Hong Kong security guard finished a hike in the same park, called his wife, and told her he was on his way home.
Later, she reported him missing and searchers found him unresponsive in the woods off MacLehose Trail near Beacon Hill. It is not yet clear what caused his death.
The tourist was not the first to fall off Lion Rock. It is listed as one of 20 high-risk locations identified on the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation website. Signs are posted in these areas, and visitors are warned of dangers.
