Expat banker dies in fall while hiking on Hong Kong’s remote Basalt Island

The 38-year-old man, an employee with Goldman Sachs, was walking along the coast of the island with a male friend and a family of six

He fell three metres while his friend, 49, was also injured in a rescue attempt

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Basalt Island has no pier or tourist facilities. Photo: T.K. Woo

Published: 1:00am, 31 Jul 2020Updated: 12:35pm, 31 Jul 2020

An expatriate banker with investment bank Goldman Sachs has died after a fall while hiking on a remote, inhabited island in waters off eastern Hong Kong.

The man, Mark Spitzer, 38, was walking along the coast of Basalt Island, off Sai Kung district, with a male friend and a family of six, three adults and three children, on Thursday.

He fell three metres to a spot near the sea while his friend, 49, was also injured in a rescue attempt. A report was made to emergency services at about 2.30pm, with the caller saying the six others were stranded on a rocky area.

A government helicopter airlifted the man to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan where he was pronounced dead.

Basalt Island is also known for its sea arches and sea caves. Photo: Cameron Dueck

His friend, who suffered cuts to his limbs, was taken to a marine police base and then by ambulance to Tseung Kwan O Hospital. No one in the family was hurt and they were airlifted to the base, police said.

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