Veteran Hong Kong barrister drowns during hiking expedition
Albert Poon Ying-yin got into trouble while swimming during expedition with a group of friends on Sunday
A veteran Hong Kong barrister drowned during a hiking tour in Tai Po on Sunday.
Albert Poon Ying-yin, 53, was said to have taken a boat ride on Sunday morning with 15 friends from Wong Shek Pier in Sai Kung to Wong Chuk Kok Tsui, or Bluff Head, in the north-eastern Unesco Global Geopark, home to some of the city’s most ancient rock formations.
From Wong Chuk Kok Tsui, they started a trip along the coast to Hung Shek Mun, or literally “Red Rock Gate”, an area known for its reddish coastline due to its iron-rich rocks. Both sites are within Plover Cove Country Park.
They reached Hung Shek Mun at about 2pm and Poon was said to have gone for a swim with a friend but got into trouble in the water as he returned.
The barrister was later pulled unconscious from the water by a friend who was swimming with him.
He was airlifted by a Government Flying Service helicopter to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan and was confirmed dead.