12-hour ordeal for injured woman after fall near Hong Kong’s ‘suicide cliff’

A leisurely day trek descended into a 12-hour nightmare for five hikers yesterday after one of them tumbled down a slope and was unable to be rescued by rescuers until early this morning.

HONG KONG, March 8: A 22-year-old woman hiking with four male friends lost her footing on Kowloon Peak, near the ominously named “Suicide Cliff” at about 2.30pm, tumbling five metres down a slope and injuring herself.

Police and firefighters were called to the scene and a Government Flying Services helicopter was scrambled, but rescue attempts were hampered by the terrain and foggy weather.

Rescuers finally reached the woman, who was conscious throughout the ordeal, at 2.30am. She was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital with injures to her nose, shoulder and ankle.

The 600-metre Kowloon Peak, also known as Fei Ngo Shan, is located in Ma On Shan Country Park in eastern Kowloon.

Four trails to the summit are offered to hikers, with the southernmost one, which begins on Fei Ngo Shan Road and features the tough climb known as “Suicide Cliff”, the most treacherous. It is deemed unsuitable for inexperienced hikers.

The near vertical “Suicide Cliff” is a hotspot for rock climbers.

 SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST