appliances all without exception were cut and bruised and physically exhausted. The boy was admitted to hospital and quickly recovered from his experience.
Mountain Rescue-Lion Rock
178. Late in the evening of 23rd January, 1966 two Chinese boys became stranded near the summit of Lion Rock (1,893 feet above sea level) and a Fire Service Rescue Team was despatched to search for them.
179. After a dangerous and difficult climb the Fire Service team located the boys shortly after midnight. The boys were stranded on a ledge some 400 feet below the peak of the mountain and two fire officers were lowered down to the ledge. To reach the ledge two 240 ft. lengths of line had to be tied together and as the boys were too exhausted to make the climb back to the summit the officer in charge of the operations decided to attempt to take the boys down the mountain side. The lower section of the rope was released and using this 240 ft. length the officer led the boys down it to a safe position, climbed up again to release the rope from around the tree to which it was tied, and returned to where the boys were waiting. The line was tied to a small tree and the party descended to the next ledge. By this time the officer in charge was extremely fatigued and in negotiating a particularly difficult rock lost his footing and fell 30 feet down the hillside. Realising that it would be impossible for the boys to make any further descent without injuring themselves he warned them to stay where they were and made his way down the mountain side. The journey took some 3 hours, and when he reached the Wong Tai Sin Sanatorium at the Shatin Pass Road he was in extreme pain. Having reported the situation to Mainland Fire Control by telephone he was conveyed to hospital where he was found to have sustained severe injuries to his legs, arms and head.
180. Shortly after dawn the boys were reached by the R.A.F. Mountain Rescue Team who, with the assistance of helicopters, com- pleted the rescue by 09.09 hours on 24th January, 1966.
Grounded Motor Tanker
181. During the night of 10th/11th February, 1966 the Liberian motor tanker 'Thomas P.' of 11,000 tons ran aground near the south- east coast of Lamma Island off the western seaboard of Hong Kong, puncturing the forward tanks which contained jet fuel and solvent.
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