Hiker rescued during typhoon sends heartfelt open letter to firefighters

Rescuers climb up the mountain after locating the hikers on Aug. 26 Screenshot: Apple Daily
Rescuers climb up the mountain after locating the hikers on Aug. 26 Screenshot: Apple Daily

One of two hikers that became the focus of a massive — and unpopular with some — rescue operation during last week’s typhoon Pakhar has posted an open letter online expressing his gratitude toward the 160 firefighters who spent 24 hours in heavy rain to save the pair.

“It was a basic mistake which could have totally been avoided,” the hiker, who has only been identified by the surname Li, admitted in the letter sent to Firefighters Word, a Facebook page maintained by Hong Kong firefighters.

Li, 30, together with his female friend, surnamed Chen, visited Hong Kong from the mainland for a planned hiking trip to Kowloon Peak in Wong Tai Sin District last Saturday, just as Typhoon Pakhar was approaching the city.

Despite a Standby Signal No.1 having already been raised by the time they arrived at about 2pm, the pair decided to go ahead with the trip, Li said, noting that the sky was relatively calm.

At about 4pm, the hikers realized they were lost after coming to a cliff, where Chen slipped and fell several meters. Li used his cellphone to call police for help four hours later.

“I should have cancelled the plan, but I decided to continue. To make it worse, I picked a route that we’ve never tried before,” the letter said.

Li expressed his sense of shame to both the rescuers and also the Hong Kong public, many of whom had taken to social media last week to complain about the expense and danger his actions had needlessly created.

As tourists, Li said, they shouldn’t have created such trouble, wasting city resources and potentially putting firefighters’ lives at risk.

As many as 160 firefighters were deployed to the scene to search amid strong winds and a heavy downpour. The pair were finally found just before midnight. Two firemen were injured during the rescue.

By that time, Pakhar had intensified and was moving quickly towards the city. Due to the weather conditions, the firefighters decided to move the hikers to a safer location and set up a tent to spend the night on the mountain before beginning their descent the next day, according to local media.

The Hong Kong Observatory upgraded the warning signal to No.8 at 5:10am that morning.

In his letter, Li thanked all his rescuers, police officers and medical workers. He mentioned four firefighters specifically, who stayed on the mountain with them overnight.

“I was so worried that they would abandon us as the situation then was simply too dangerous. But they stayed with us. They took care of me and my friend first before themselves. They gave all the scarce resources, warm clothes, energy drinks, raincoats and food, to us first,” he said. “They encouraged us by saying ‘don’t blame yourself, your safety is our priority’.”

When the torrent on the mountain became increasingly strong, forcing the group to move to another spot, the firefighters carried his friend, who was injured seriously on her leg, he recalled.

“In such a difficult and fatigue situation, they managed to maintain their calmness, patience and sincerity,” Li said. “Because of these firefighters, Hong Kong has become a reliable and safe place. Moreover, no matter where you’re from, life is respected, safety is guaranteed, without comparing our differences. This is why Hong Kong is an international metropolis.”

His open letter, which has gone viral on the social networking platform, drew a reply from one of the firefighters.

“Dear Mr Li: I promised you on that day that ‘don’t be afraid, we’re here and we’ll get you out of here!’ It’s not easy but we made it,” said So Chi Wing. He added that making mistakes was only normal, but most importantly, Li had handled the matter in a positive and responsible manner. He went on to urge Li to stop blaming himself.

Many netizens echoed So’s comments by encouraging Li to learn from the lesson. As of 4:30pm today, the post has received over 2,200 likes on Facebook.



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