The Fire Services Department currently has a mountaineering rescue support vehicle to support the rescue team of the mountaineering rescue team. In addition to ropes, machetes, forest shears, etc., the vehicle is also equipped with a telescope with a distance measuring function, a GPS tracker, and waterproof, dustproof, shockproof and explosion-proof mobile phones and computers
During the pandemic many Hong Kong people took up hiking. According to the records of the Fire Services Department, there have been more than 1,500 mountain climbing rescue accidents in the past three years. In 2022 and 2021, 600 and 588 cases will be received respectively, both of which were significantly higher than the 328 cases in 2020. Taking a look at the figures for the past three years, Ma On Shan Country Park received the most accidents, followed by Sai Kung East Country Park. Attendance by the Fire Services Department’s mountaineering and rescue accident teams has also been increasing in the past three years, from 602 in 2020 to 2022. 1,014 cases, an increase of nearly 70%.
The Secretary for the Environment and Ecology submitted a written reply to the Legislative Council Wednesday (15/2) on the issue of the safety of hikers. He mentioned that according to the records of the Fire Services Department, 328 cases (2020) and 588 cases (2021) were received in the past three years. The figures for 2022 and 2021 are a sharp increase of 82% and 79% respectively compared to the 328 cases in 2020.
If the number of injuries and deaths in 2022 and 2020 are compared, there were 12 deaths and 329 injuries in 2022, which is five times and more than 1.5 times respectively compared to two deaths and 125 injuries in 2020. Last year, South Lantau Country Park had the highest number of casualties, with 4 dead and 61 injured.
Looking at the figures for the past three years, among the country parks, Ma On Shan Country Park received the most mountaineering rescue accidents, with 265 cases. This was followed by Sai Kung East Country Park with 263 cases. In South Lantau Country Park, 196 accidents were also reported. Lion Rock Country Park and Tai Lam Country Park received 100 and 99 accidents respectively.
If the two-year figures for 2022 and 2020 are compared, the number of climbing rescue accidents received by Lam Tsuen Country Park increased the most, from seven in 2020 to 21 in 2022, a 3 times increase. This was followed by Tai Mo Shan Country Park where the number of cases increased from eight in 2020 to 21 in 2022, an increase of more than 1.5 times.
In the past three years, attendance of fire rescue accident teams related to mountain climbing has also been on the rise, from 602 in 2020 to 1,014 in 2022, an increase of nearly 70%.
Full details of the incidents over the past three years can be seen in the table below:
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