Tragic end to search at Suicide Cliff

A retired insurance agent who trekked to Kowloon Peak's infamous Suicide Cliff died after he was found by rescuers a day after he went missing.

Yu Kwok-keung, 58, was found unconscious at 1pm yesterday, more than a day after his family last heard from him on Tuesday morning while he was hiking on the black spot notorious for accidents.

His wife reported to police at about 7pm on Tuesday that her husband had been missing since leaving the flat in Siu Sai Wan in the morning.

Police, the Fire Services Department, Government Flying Service and Civil Aid Service sent rescuers to search for Yu, who was found after 17 hours.

Yu was unconscious and had injuries on the right side of his body when found by firemen at a slope about 150 meters from Suicide Cliff.

He was flown to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan where he was declared dead at 1.21pm. The cause of death has yet to be confirmed.

The GFS dispatched four rounds of helicopter flights for a total of 6.5 hours in the search that started at 2.30am.

Earlier, his daughter, pleading for help, shared a photo of Yu on Instagram. She wrote: "Urgent, please spread, my father went on a hike this morning and has lost contact, he was last online at 11am."

Police also sent out an alert, describing Yu as 1.6 meters tall, 63 kilograms in weight, medium build, with a long face, yellow complexion and short black-gray hair.

He was last seen wearing black-framed glasses, a yellow jacket, gray sports shoes and had a black backpack.

The daughter and police shared the same photo of Yu standing on a rock, which she said was taken at around 10am near Suicide Cliff.

Kowloon Peak, also known as Fei Ngo Shan, is the highest mountain in the Kowloon peninsula, with an altitude of about 600 meters.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has named Suicide Cliff as one of the high-risk locations with records of fatal and serious accidents. Hikers are advised to avoid entering the area.

"AFCD has erected warning signs at appropriate locations to alert hikers not to enter areas with potential hazards," the government's hiking website states.

In April, a 52-year-old woman died after falling 20 meters off the cliff. In 2017, a 48-year-old woman was killed after falling off the cliff while hiking with friends.

In 2015, a 22-year-old woman slipped and fell five meters off the cliff and suffered fractures to her nose, arm, and legs. She survived.

maisy.mok@singtaonewscorp.com