HONG KONG — A 77-year-old man with dementia, missing for nearly two days, was safely recovered Thursday by Hong Kong search teams after a critical GPS tracking device temporarily failed, complicating an intense, round-the-clock rescue operation on a remote hillside.
The elderly man, a resident of Sau Mau Ping Estate, was reported missing Wednesday evening after leaving his home and last being seen at a shopping center on Sau Ming Road. His worried wife contacted authorities at approximately 7 p.m., noting her husband had managed to call her but was unable to clearly describe his location, raising immediate alarm.
Initial Trace and Signal Dropout
Crucially, the missing man was equipped with a tracking device provided through the “Smart Tracker” program, a joint initiative between the police, the Social Welfare Department, and local non-profits designed to assist individuals with cognitive impairments. Using the device’s data, police initially determined the man’s last known location was on a slope near Fei Ngo Shan (Kowloon Peak), close to a specific temple in the Shun Lee Estate area.
Search and rescue personnel immediately deployed to the rugged terrain at about 2 a.m. Thursday. However, upon arrival, the tracking signal abruptly ceased, likely due to the device’s battery failing or the unit being lost.
“The loss of the GPS signal significantly increased the difficulty of the rescue,” a police spokesperson stated, highlighting the shift from targeted recovery to a broad search effort across difficult, densely forested slopes.
Expanded Search and Successful Recovery
Undeterred, police and fire services personnel launched an extensive ground search. By 4 a.m., the operation had expanded to neighboring hilltops, prompting the deployment of the Government Flying Service. A helicopter was called in to provide aerial surveillance over the Sau Mau Ping and Shun Lee areas, its distinct sound audible throughout the day as teams combed the ground below.
By Thursday afternoon, with the man still unaccounted for, the police department released his details and image to the public, appealing for witness information. The lengthy search concluded successfully around 5 p.m. Thursday when the ground search teams located the missing man. He was reported to be conscious and coherent upon being found.
The Role of the Smart Tracker Program
This incident underscores the double-edged nature of technology in emergency response, where devices provide vital initial leads but are subject to failure. The successful initial location, however, validated the primary benefit of the Smart Tracker program, or “智蹤計劃” (Jī Zōng Jìhuà).
Launched in April 2022, the initiative provides vulnerable individuals, including those with dementia and disabilities, with location-aware devices linked to caregivers’ smartphones. This allows for swift localization when an individual wanders or becomes lost, significantly reducing the duration and danger associated with these events.
While the tracker’s battery life ultimately proved a limitation in this instance, the prompt data retrieved enabled authorities to narrow the search area substantially from the entirety of Hong Kong to a specific hillside area, ultimately facilitating the successful outcome.
Caregivers of elderly relatives or those with cognitive challenges are encouraged to explore programs like the Smart Tracker initiative and to diligently monitor the equipment’s battery status and functionality. This proactive oversight remains the most critical factor in ensuring these crucial safety tools continue to protect vulnerable community members.
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