Doctor dies after boat rips off leg in Hong Kong waters
- Police say man was hit by boat while swimming in waters between Sam Mun Tsai in Tai Po and Ma On Shan
- His leg was severed in the incident and he was rushed to Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin, but died later
A doctor has died after he was hit by a boat which tore off one of his legs as he swam in Hong Kong waters on Thursday morning.
Police said the man, who was 37, was swimming alone in the waters between Sam Mun Tsai in Tai Po and Ma On Shan when he was struck by the small boat, powered by an outboard motor, at about 8.20am.
The Post has learned that the victim was Joshua Law Chun, who worked for aesthetic medicine clinic Beauskin Medical Group.
He was said to be a regular swimmer and lived in the upmarket Mayfair By The Sea estate in Pak Shek Kok.
His left leg was severed in the incident and he was rushed to Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin, but pronounced dead at 9.16am.
A 45-year-old man, the operator of the boat involved, was arrested for endangering the safety of others at sea.
The boat operator, from Po Nga Court, Tai Po, has been detained and the marine regional crime unit is investigating the incident.
Endangering the safety of others at sea has a maximum penalty of four years in prison and a fine of HK$200,000 (US$25,741).
Physical health expert Dr Lobo Louie Hung-tak said open water swimming was not dangerous if those taking part wore brightly-coloured hats and carried a swim buoy.
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He pointed out that the waters off Sam Mun Tsai was a speed limited zone where boats should not travel faster than 5 knots, equivalent to a fast walking speed.
“In theory, boatmen should be able to see the buoy from afar if they are not sailing too fast,” the associate head of the health and physical education department at the Education University of Hong Kong said.
“The boatman in this incident probably did not notice the sea conditions.”
He said swimming in open water was a popular hobby in Hong Kong, and, to his knowledge, few swimmers had been involved in incidents with boats.
