Memorial area set up at Sha Tin fire station to mourn Hong Kong fireman who died in clifftop rescue
Top government officials and other citizens pay their respects amid calls for hikers to be more aware of potential dangers
Firefighter Yau Siu-ming, who died in a heroic clifftop rescue mission on Wednesday, was always the first to get to the scene of an emergency and the last to leave, according to colleagues who paid tribute to him on Thursday.
Some 50 firefighters, along with Yau’s wife and six-year-old son, gathered to pay their respects in a tearful memorial ceremony in Ma On Shan country park, facing the cliff where he lost his life.
During a traditional Chinese ritual, Yau’s wife and son stood in front of a ceremonial table upon which his uniform and food offerings were laid out.
“Where did dad go?” the boy asked, looking up at his mother, who squeezed his shoulder in reply, blinking back tears.
Yau, 50, lost his footing and slipped off a cliff during an overnight search and rescue operation that began on Tuesday for two lost hikers in a treacherous part of the country park.
From dangerous mountain rescues to freeing passengers trapped in lifts, his colleagues remembered Yau as a fearless firefighter.