Hong Kong lecturer Arthur Yeung dies after 5m fall at tourist attraction in Bolivia
- Yeung had climbed a historic steam locomotive at the Cementerio de Trenes while on tour with his wife
A Hong Kong university lecturer died on Christmas Eve after a fall in Bolivia, where he was on holiday with his wife.
The Immigration Department said it was following up on the death of Arthur Yeung Shin-kam, who worked at Education University.
Officials had contacted the commissioner of China’s foreign ministry in Hong Kong and the Chinese embassy in the South American country, after receiving a request for help.
“The department has been providing feasible assistance based on the wishes of the family of the deceased,” a spokeswoman said.
According to a Chinese media report, Yeung, a Hong Kong local, died on December 24 during a visit to a famous attraction on the outskirts of the desert in Uyuni, a city in the southwest of Bolivia.
While he and his wife were at the Cementerio de Trenes, a rusty collection of historic steam locomotives, Yeung climbed one of the trains, then lost his balance and fell from a height of about five metres.
Education lawmaker Ip Kin-yuen, who had worked with Yeung in the past, said their old colleagues were aware of his death.
The university said in a statement that the campus community was deeply saddened by Yeung’s sudden passing, and offered its condolences to his family.
According to the university, Yeung was head of its department of education policy and leadership and a student hostel warden, before becoming a part-time lecturer there.
Photos of Yeung hiking and travelling in Europe could be found on his Facebook page.
