A 59-year-old man died in hospital yesterday after falling from a height of some 40 meters during a hike along a popular, but dangerous, trail in the New Territories.
According to Ming Pao, the deceased, surnamed To, was one of a group of 16 people who went to hike along the so-called “Bride’s Pool” trail in Tai Po at about 11am on Sunday.
During the hike, To lost his footing and slipped, plunging over the precipice of a 30- to 40-meter cliff.
His friends called emergency services, and To had to be airlifted to hospital, but was declared dead at about 2pm, hours after he arrived.
This is the second time in three days there’s been a hiking-related accident at Bride’s Pool. HK01 reported that on Friday, a 35-year-old man surnamed Ho also fell about 30 meters over a cliff close to the barbecue site at Bride’s Pool.
The outlet reports that he didn’t land on his head, but did sustain serious injuries during the fall, and was taken to hospital with blood streaming from his head. He is currently in critical condition.
Bride’s Pool is a popular hiking spot in Plover Cove Country Park, and is well known for its scenic waterfall and pool.
Its name derives from a folktale in which a bride on her way to see her groom in stormy weather fell into the pool and drowned after one of the four porters carrying the sedan she was sitting on slipped.
In 2018, the authorities listed Bride’s Pool as an “accident black spot” where accidents and fatalities frequently occur.
Mountaineering expert Chung Kin-man told Ming Pao that Bride’s Pool is a popular hiking spot thanks to its waterfalls, and that many people often try to get to the top of the waterfall to take pictures.
Chung said that waterfalls and mountain streams in general are very slippery and covered in moss, making accidents very likely. He reminded hikers not to try to take photos from the top of the waterfall, and urged them instead to view it from the bottom.
According to Apple Daily, a 56-year-old retired teacher was also killed at Bride’s Pool in 2017 after slipping and falling underneath the waterfall while taking pictures. Firefighters managed to pull him out, but found that he had hit his head on a rock. He was declared dead after being sent to hospital.
Another fatality occurred in July 2011, when a 27-year-old man on a solo trip climbed up a 25-meter-high waterfall and also slipped and hit his head on a rock.
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