South Island School mourns graduate Ian Lo, who died after being struck by lightning
A South Island School graduate died in a freak accident on Monday while hiking in Ma On Shan Country Park
Paramedics from the Hong Kong Flying Services give medical care to the victim.South Island School held a counselling session where students could gather and grieve yesterday, following the death of a recent graduate, Ian Lo Go-yin, 18. Ian passed away on Monday after being struck by lightning while hiking in Ma On Shan Country Park.
Police said Ian was hiking with a group of six. He was struck as the group walked along Section Four of the MacLehose Trail. The group had set off at about 10am on Monday, a public holiday, for their hike.
Ian’s 18-year-old female friend called the police right after the accident around 12.45pm. A rescue team went to the site, and took him by helicopter to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, in Chai Wan.
Hong Kong student, 18, dies after being struck by lightning while hiking
A spokesman for the Government Flying Service said its crew, which included a doctor and nurses, found Ian unconscious without a pulse or heartbeat when they arrived on the scene.
A doctor was seen trying to resuscitate Ian as he was taken into the emergency ward on a stretcher. He was declared dead at about 2.15pm, according to the Hospital Authority.
Ian, a baseball star in secondary school, shared his thoughts and tips on playing baseball with Young Post two years ago. He took part in international and regional tournaments as part of the Hong Kong team, including the 2015 Little League Asia Pacific Tournament.
Ian Lo, the unstoppable baseball shortstop from South Island School
Observatory scientific officer Ng Yin-lam said there were 568 lightning strikes over the eastern New Territories between noon and 1pm on the day of the incident.
An experienced hiker Dan Van Hoy, the leader of Hong Kong Hiking Meetup, told Young Post that hikers should stay away from high places, including mountain tops, ridges, high buildings, and tall isolated trees, when stuck in a thunderstorm.
Edited by Nicole Moraleda