Coroner urges Hong Kong’s hikers not to go off beaten path after ruling firefighter’s death during night-time rescue an accident

A coroner has urged hikers to be more responsible after concluding the inquest into the death of a senior Hong Kong firefighter who died while rescuing an off-duty police officer and his girlfriend from a cliff two years ago.

On Wednesday, coroner Ko Wai-hung ruled that Yau Siu-ming’s death was an accident, after a five-day hearing which heard how the principal firefighter and his colleagues braved adverse conditions to save Wun Cho-wing, and his girlfriend, Lau So-man, at Tiu Shau Ngam in Ma On Shan on March 21.

The rescue, triggered after Wun and Lau veered off track and became stranded, was made harder by low visibility and slippery rocks, prompting Ko to also recommend that the Fire Services Department provide climbing shoes and helmet lights catering specifically for foggy weather.

Without naming Wun and Lau, the coroner said when inexperienced hikers needed to be rescued as a result of leaving proper trails, they ended up endangering those who need to the save them.

“This is a good case in point,” he said, adding that the death of the 50-year-old firefighter was “too much of a price to pay”.

Yau’s wife and son cried outside court after the verdict and did not say anything as they left.

Earlier the court heard that Yau was at Ma On Shan fire station when the request for help from Wun came in 6.07pm on March 21.

During the inquest, the off-duty police officer told the court he and his girlfriend had set off on a trek from Shui Long Wo in Sai Kung, to Ma On Shan Country Park via Tiu Shau Ngam, earlier.

The pair followed a map they got from the internet, but took a wrong turn on the MacLehose Trail despite ignoring a warning sign. They ended up stranded on a steep slope off the proper trail.

Wun, who claimed his girlfriend later suffered from fever and hallucinations, eventually called some colleagues for help.

An initial search party set off around 9pm, and the couple were located three hours later, but could not be rescued until further support arrived.

Hero’s send-off for Hong Kong fireman who died in clifftop rescue mission

The rescue operation resumed at 3.30am on March 22, and Yau’s voice was last heard, and his light last seen, at 5.10am. The coroner surmised that the firefighter had either lost his footing on the uneven surface, or an object he was using to steady himself had come loose, which was why the death was ruled an accident.

Yau’s colleagues found him minutes later, with a weak pulse, but the bad weather and difficult location meant he could not be moved until 2pm. He died of serious head injuries at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin at 4.17pm.

During the hearing, the firefighter’s surviving siblings and wife criticised Wun, and challenged the decisions made by Yau’s colleagues and supervisors.

They wanted to know why he was leading the rescue operation, and also accused paramedics and Yau’s colleagues of putting him through hours of torture. The family said other rescuers knew Yau showed no signs of life, but they continued to try to resuscitate him.

However, Ko said it was understandable that Yau’s colleagues might have been “hoping for a miracle”, while evidence given in court showed Yau had volunteered to lead the operation.

Ko expressed gratitude to those who took part in the mission, and blessed the family, who previously said they wished Yau had not been not as brave.

A month after his death, the government gave Yau’s family HK$4.5 million for what then Secretary for Labour and Welfare Stephen Sui Wai-keung called the firefighter’s “exceptional courage and professionalism”.

A spokesman from the fire department said: “The department is saddened by the loss of such a excellent and courageous principal fire officer, and would like to send its deepest condolences to his family once again.”

He said the fire service respected the coroner’s findings, would study his recommendations, and stressed that the department placed top priority on the protective equipment officers needed, and would review and update that list as appropriate.