3 hikers injured after being struck by paraglider in Ma On Shan Country Park

Three hikers have been injured after a paraglider lost control while descending in Ma On Shan Country Park on Sunday.

Police received a report at around 12.30pm from a woman who said she and two others were struck by a paraglider near Ngong Ping – a popular paragliding spot – in Ma On Shan Country Park.

The 42-year-old woman suffered bleeding head injuries, while her 14-year-old son sustained an injury to his waist. Her friend’s 15-year-old son suffered injuries to his head and hands.

A Government Flying Service helicopter airlifted the three hikers to a landing pad in Wan Chai, before an ambulance transferred them to Ruttonjee Hospital.

The paraglider pilot was not injured.

The Civil Aviation Department said it is working with law enforcement agencies to follow up on the incident.

‘High-risk sport’

Local media reported that the pilot, a 50-year-old man, had previously been observed by the paragliding community using improper technique.

Herman Chiu, vice-chairperson of the Hong Kong China Paragliding Association, told media outlets he had seen the man before and thought an accident was only a matter of time.

The man had previously told others that he was a self-taught paraglider pilot, Chiu added.

Under Hong Kong law, paraglider pilots do not need a permit from the Civil Aviation Department unless they are offering services for a fee.

In response to media outlets, the Civil Aviation Department reminded the public that paragliding was a “relatively high-risk sport,” and that paragliders must undergo training and take safety precautions to protect themselves and others.

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Hillary Leung is a journalist at Hong Kong Free Press, where she reports on local politics and social issues, and assists with editing. Since joining in late 2021, she has covered the Covid-19 pandemic, political court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial, and challenges faced by minority communities.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Hillary completed her undergraduate degree in journalism and sociology at the University of Hong Kong. She worked at TIME Magazine in 2019, where she wrote about Asia and overnight US news before turning her focus to the protests that began that summer. At Coconuts Hong Kong, she covered general news and wrote features, including about a Black Lives Matter march that drew controversy amid the local pro-democracy movement and two sisters who were born to a domestic worker and lived undocumented for 30 years in Hong Kong.