Suicide Cliff claims another life

Kowloon Peak's notorious Suicide Cliff has seen a second death in two days.

A 31-year-old man named Wan was yesterday found by rescuers 400 meters under Kowloon Peak, also known as Fei Ngo Shan. Sources say he is a school teacher who works in east Kowloon.

Wan had been missing for a day, as a police spokesman said he was last seen on Wednesday on Hammer Hill Road in Wong Tai Sin and his family made a report regarding his disappearance to police yesterday.

The police received a report at 12.34pm, when a hiker found a backpack at Kowloon Peak and suspected that someone had fallen off the cliff.

The Government Flying Service and Fire Services Department searched the bottom of Suicide Cliff, where the backpack was found. The man was discovered after about an hour of searching.

He was then airlifted by helicopter in an unconscious state to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, where he was declared dead at 3.24 pm.

"No suicide note was found at the scene. After initial investigation, it is believed that the subject fell from the edge of a cliff on the site and his cause of death is to be confirmed after an autopsy," a police spokesman said.

The police are treating the case as a suicide. It is understood that the man has a history of mental illness.

This is the second death recorded this week at Kowloon Peak. A 58-year-old retired insurance agent, Yu Kwok-keung, went missing on Tuesday and was later found unconscious on a slope about 150 meters away from Suicide Cliff.

He was taken to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, where he was declared dead at 1.21 pm on Wednesday. The cause of his death is still unknown.

His family and friends went to Victoria Public Mortuary in Kennedy Town to identify the body yesterday.

Yu's daughter wrote on her Instagram page on Wednesday thanking people who had helped in the search and asked the public to give their family some time to recover.

"My father was found and has left. He went on a far and long hike, as a hiking fanatic, I'm sure he is in bliss," the daughter wrote. "I am glad that my father did not leave in pain, he has completed his wish to challenge a high difficulty hiking trail, so please don't feel too bad [about his death.]"

The Agriculture, Fisheries, and Conservation Department has named Suicide Cliff a high-risk location, with fatal and severe accidents having been reported there in the past. Hikers are advised to avoid the area.

maisy.mok@singtaonewscorp.com