Woman missing for 11 days found alive on hillside near Hong Kong cemetery
Hong Kong authorities have found a 60-year-old woman on a hillside near a cemetery nearly two weeks after she went missing, despite the search being hampered by a typhoon and days of heavy rain. Police said on Monday that Ngan Lai‑ching left her home at Kwong Ming Court in Tseung Kwan O on the morning of July 24 without a mobile phone or an Octopus card. Authorities noted that she has a history…
A 60-year-old woman named Ngan Lai‑ching has been found alive after being missing for 11 days in a remote hillside area near a cemetery in Hong Kong, despite the search being complicated by a typhoon and heavy rain. Ngan left her home on July 24 without a mobile phone or an Octopus card, and her daughter reported her missing the following day. The police classified her as a high-risk missing person due to her history of schizophrenia.
Civil Aid Service personnel discovered her belongings, including one shoe, on July 28, and the other shoe 10 meters further up the hill. Ngan was located near the Tseung Kwan O Chinese Permanent Cemetery and On Luen Village at 1:08 PM on the same day. She was conscious but had several abrasions and was found lying on a slope covered in thick vegetation.
The rescue mission was particularly challenging due to the persistent rainstorms, muddy trails, and landslides triggered by Typhoon Noul, which hit Hong Kong just a day after Ngan went missing. The storm brought gale-force winds, heavy squally showers, and rough seas. Experts have described her survival as "miraculous" given her age, mental condition, and the harsh conditions she endured.
Kevin Chan Kwok-pan, an executive member of the Hong Kong Survival Association, emphasized the rarity of such a survival story, stating that it is uncommon for someone to survive in the wilderness for that long without succumbing to hypothermia. He suggested that family members of vulnerable individuals should consider using smart tracking devices, attaching AirTags to clothing or having them wear accessories with locating and tracking functions.
Chan also advised dressing them in brighter colors and familiarizing them with the surrounding environment to aid in their survival during such emergencies.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
