Hong Kong woman, 37, injures head after falling into pool in Sai Kung East Country Park
- She was hiking along Sheung Luk Stream when the accident occurred, and is now being treated at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
- The incident happened days after a female hiker died while trying to take selfies at a Tuen Mun mountain site
A 37-year-old woman injured her head after falling into a pool in a Hong Kong country park on Thursday, just days after a female hiker died from a fall while taking selfies at a Tuen Mun mountain site.
The woman in the latest accident was hiking along Sheung Luk Stream in Sai Kung East Country Park when the fall occurred soon after 3pm.
The hiker accidentally fell two metres down into a pool and a passer-by called police at 3.08pm, a spokesman for the force said. The woman was conscious while being airlifted to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital for treatment.
On July 10, Cheung Shuk-ling, 32, died after plunging into a five-metre (16-foot) deep pool while hiking in Tuen Mun.
According to police, she set off with several friends from a public housing estate in Tuen Mun around 11am that day and reached Tsing Dai rocky stream soon after 5pm. Cheung, who had over 17,000 followers on social media, reportedly tried to take photos but lost her footing and fell into the pond.
Emergency personnel arrived at the scene after receiving a call from her 32-year-old friend.
“Cheung was unconscious while being airlifted to Pamela Youde Nethersole Hospital in Chai Wan where she was declared dead. No suspicious marks or wounds were detected on the deceased,” a police spokeswoman said.
On Instagram, Cheung often shared swimsuit photos taken at the beach as well as pictures from hiking trips. Her last picture was uploaded last Friday.
There were at least six other hiking-related fatalities in the first seven months of this year.
Mishaps on the city’s trails have been on the rise, with the number of Fire Services Department operations to rescue trapped trekkers tripling to 426 in the first four months of this year as compared with the same period in 2020.
Of those rescued, four died and 243 were hurt, an increase from the 83 injured hikers in the first four months of last year.
Fire services officials had previously urged trekkers to check proper sources to understand the perils and difficulty levels of trails, instead of relying on social media posts or online video clips that made it seem easy to head out along some routes.
A guide to hiking the MacLehose Trail from sections 1 to 3
Emerald Hiking Team leader Samuel Chow Shu-ching said accidents were common because hikers often failed to put safety before taking photos at scenic spots, with some standing too close to the edges. Streams, for example, were beautiful but more physically demanding for hikers. Some trekkers would also overestimate their hiking skills, he added.
In April 2019, a 26-year-old Filipino woman died while taking selfies at waterfalls in Tai Mo Shan Country Park.
She had gone hiking with her younger sister and four friends during the Ching Ming Festival, starting at Lam Kam Road in Tai Po. Upon reaching Ng Tung Chai Waterfalls, her friends heard a loud noise and found she had fallen 15 metres (49 feet) and was in the water, according to police. Her friends told police that she had slipped while trying to take a selfie.
Additional reporting by Danny Mok
