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Oscar Liu

Post photographer Elson Li did not expect to see anyone when he arrived at the Tseung Kwan O promenade, where raging waves were crashing into the coast as Super Typhoon Ragasa reached its closest point to Hong Kong.
But a man sitting alone on a bench facing the sea, with the Tseung Kwan O Cross Bay Bridge in the background, caught his eye.
It was 6.30am on Wednesday, when the highest-level No 10 hurricane warning signal was in force.
At that time, waves reaching up to two-thirds the height of the 17-metre-tall (56-foot) Tseung Kwan O Cross Bay Link kept crashing into the coast.

As he was trying to figure out how to call out to the man, Li snapped away while he walked to a wall 10 metres behind him.
“I told him to get back to a safer place,” he said.
But it was already too late. A wave had swept the man off his feet.
“He was lucky that the railing stopped him from being swept out to sea,” Li said, adding that the man ignored him and walked away.
The images quickly went viral. The photograph was also used as the main image on the front page of the Post’s print edition on Thursday.
Some online users questioned whether the pictures were AI-generated. They were not.

Li said he hoped the images would be seen as a warning against reckless behaviour.
“I did wonder if the viral nature of the image might, in some unintended ways, encourage other people to engage in similar reckless behaviour,” Li said. Some online users called the man in the picture the “king of the storm”.


“Ultimately, I believe many people will feel fear or shock and realise the true danger shown in the pictures,” Li said.
The Post has strict guidelines to protect the safety of its staff at all times, and reporters and photographers who are dispatched to various locations during typhoons are told the drill – safety above all else.


Post photographer Karma Lo was also out that morning, capturing waves violently lashing the promenade in Heng Fa Chuen and even some residential buildings.
Lo said it was a challenge to walk along the promenade and take photos. He and his counterparts from other media outlets had to hold onto each other to move step by step towards the waterfront.
“We got caught by the waves a few times and even swallowed a couple of mouthfuls of seawater,” he said. “I fell and got an abrasion on my leg.”
Post photographer Sam Tsang arrived at Ma Wan Village in Lei Yue Mun at 6am and captured waves as high as the rooftop of a house crashing against the waterfront.
“I had to hold onto the railing to keep my footing while shooting,” Tsang said.
“The waves were immense, which appeared to be swallowing residential buildings. I was very concerned about residents’ safety.”

Post photographer Eugene Lee stayed overnight at Tai O and witnessed flood levels reaching as high as his waist.
“The danger lies in the debris hidden beneath the water. You cannot tell if there is a sudden drop in the ground level into which you could slip easily,” Lee said.
All of the Post’s teams out in the field during Super Typhoon Ragasa returned to the office safely after their assignments.


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Super Typhoon Ragasa

Post photographer hopes viral Ragasa man-on-bench image warns against danger

A man sits on a bench on the Tseung Kwan O promenade as the waves approach during Ragasa. Photo: Elson Li


A wave sweeps the man off the bench feet during Ragasa. Photo: Elson Li

The front page of Thursday’s South China Morning Post. Photo: SCMP

Waves crash against the shores and buildings at Ma Wan Village in Lei Yue Mun. Photo: Sam Tsang

Lessons from Ragasa lashing Hong Kong’s coastal areas must be learned, experts say

Workers mop up at the Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel. Photo: Jelly Tse

Seawater inundates the Tseung Kwan O Promenade as the storm rages. Photo: Elson Li

Hong Kong back in action after Super Typhoon Ragasa paralyses city for 2 days

Firefighters and police officers work to remove a fallen tree in Sai Kung. Photo: May Tse

A man sits on a bench on the Tseung Kwan O promenade as the waves approach. Photo: Elson Li

A restaurant in Tseung Kwan O hit by flooding. Photo: Elson Li

A decades-old banyan tree in Oi Man Estate didn’t survive the onslaught. Photo: Jelly Tse

News

Hong Kong

Society

Some are calling the man ‘king of the storm’, but photographer Elson Li hopes his images convey risk of such behaviour


Some are calling the man ‘king of the storm’, but photographer Elson Li hopes his images convey risk of such behaviour.


Hong Kong weather