Hiker Chan Tin-sung, who went missing on Po Toi Island late last month, has been found dead.
Chan’s body was found on a hill on the southeastern part of the island at about 1pm yesterday, according to Sing Tao. Emergency personnel who rushed to the scene declared him dead and confirmed it was the same man who had disappeared on June 24.
The tragic discovery brings to a sad conclusion an exhaustive two-week search. Almost 100 people formed a search and rescue team to look for the 62-year-old after his family reported that he left his Ma On Shan home to hike on Po Toi and never returned.
Marine police from Aberdeen searched for him by sea, and a Government Flying Service (GFS) helicopter was called in. His friends also appealed to hikers on Facebook for information on his whereabouts.
The newspaper reported that a GFS helicopter transported Chan’s body to the Wan Chai Heliport at about 5pm yesterday, where it was then transferred to a morgue. An autopsy will be carried out to determine the cause of death, which was not immediately apparent due to the decomposition of the body.
Chan was reportedly an experienced hiker who loved hiking with friends.
Po Toi Island is a popular hiking spot known locally as the “South Pole of Hong Kong,” due to its placement.
It was not included in a list compiled by the government of so-called “accident blackspots” or “high risk locations” where hiking-related accidents and fatalities are known to have occurred.
In May, the government confirmed that the number of hiking deaths in 2017 had more than doubled from the previous year.
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