Fire_Services_1965-1966 — Page 45

Fire Service rescue units were called to the scene and the trapped persons were extricated and raised to the road level by rescue stretchers and lines.

Kowloon Magistracy

175. At about 10.34 hours on 3rd June, 1965 a group of men accused of armed robbery being escorted into Kowloon Magistracy attempted to escape and in doing so managed to arm themselves and trap six members of the Police Force and two other prisoners in a room. The men then held the Police at bay for 4 hours. Fire Service assistance was called for to force an entry to the trapped Policemen, two of whom had been shot by the escapees. Window bars and grills were cut away by Fire Service personnel under the protection of an armed Police guard. Entry into the room was effected after about 20 minutes work and the captive men were brought to safety. The alleged robbers gave themselves up at 14.35 hours.

Tai Po Road, Sha Tin

176. On 11th July, 1965 a single decker motor bus collided with a dual purpose van causing the latter to overturn. Twelve passengers were trapped in the dual purpose van, and Fire Service personnel extricated these using tirfor (hand winch) equipment and bolt croppers. Ten of the trapped persons sustained only minor injuries (i.e. lacera- tions, scalp wounds, etc.), the eleventh victim was admitted to hospital suffering from internal injuries and the twelfth person was certified dead on arrival at hospital.

Lion Rock, Kowloon

177. During the evening of 21st November, 1965 a 15 year old Chinese youth fell some 150 feet down a ravine near the summit of Lion Rock Hill. The operations involved an exhausting and at times perilous trek over precipitous hillside to reach the casualty. After trekking for several hours Police and Fire Service teams reached the top of the ravine and commenced the 150 feet almost vertical descent to where the boy had fallen. This descent involved amongst other things a right angled traverse across the face of an over-hanging boulder, and the rescue party took nearly 1 hours to reach the boy. Having administered first aid the party then had to descend several hundred feet down precipitous hillside and through mountain scrub carrying the injured boy during which time darkness overtook them. When they arrived back at the point at which they had left their

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