Hong Kong Connection：Hike with a Trace

Adapting to the new normal during the pandemic, Hong Kong people who are fond of travelling abroad during holidays reluctantly stay in the city amid travel restrictions. While hiking has become an increasingly popular leisure activity for the general public, it comes with a surge in the number of injuries and deaths involving hikers. In particular, the missing person incidents involving solo hikers have raised public concern.

Rescue personnel coming from different agencies, including the Fire Services Department, the Civil Aid Service, the Government Flying Service, etc. perform their duties while joining forces to conduct search and rescue operations. As the sooner the rescue teams locate the missing person, the higher the survival chance of the victim, rescuers make every effort to conduct searches based on the scarce clues gathered from the sources.

On the other hand, "Enjoy Hiking" app, co-developed by the Communications Association of Hong Kong and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, was launched in 2013 to raise public awareness of hiking safety. Hikers are encouraged to install the app and activate its "Hiker Tracking Service" function before setting off. In case of emergency, the tracking location data recorded and shared with rescuers can help identify possible locations of casualties.