Dramatic overnight rescue takes place on foggy Ngau Ngak Shan

A 15 hour rescue operation took place overnight in Ma On Shan Country Park when six women, three Filipinas and three Indonesians, were rescued in dense fog on the slopes of Ngau Ngak Shan or The Hunch Backs.

The six women set off to walk the trail between the two peaks in the afternoon. They were well prepared, wearing hiking gear, helmets and trekking poles. They were also experienced hikers, going on such trips most holidays.

Unfortunately one of the women slipped and fell 20 m down the hillside. The others tried to help but to no avail. At 5:00 pm with light beginning to fail, and fog rolling in, they called emergency services for help. The whole rescue operation took 15 hours as the weather conditions made locating and rescuing the hikers difficult. It also didn’t help that the women were not sure where they were in the dark, foggy conditions.

The women were located around 4:00 am,  but because of the fog, and the fact that the terrain was not suitable for helicopter rescue, the rescuers divided the group into two and were able to lead the uninjured hikers downhill. The injured woman was lifted on to a stretcher and had to wait for fist light and the fog to lift before a helicopter could arrive. She was taken to hospital around 8:00 am. The injured woman is reportedly a domestic worker employed by a family living in Sai Kung.

The area is popular with hikers as the views from the area are beautiful, as the dip between the two peaks – the saddle on the horse back mountain – allows views across both sides of the range to Sai Kung and east New Territories. However it is classified as a difficult hike as it is quite high with steep cliffs on both sides and you need to use both hands to climb.

[UPDATED to include new information]

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