Man dies after suspected drowning at Peng Chau open water swimming race

A 58-year-old New Zealand man has died after he was suspected of drowning while taking part in the Peng Chau Challenge Open Water Swim Race on Thursday. View from Finger Hill on Peng Chau Island Photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP. He was rescued in the waters off Tung Wan Beach and taken to Peng Chau Clinic, police told HKFP on Thursday. He was then airlifted to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police received a report at around 12:21pm about a man falling unconscious. Responders performed CPR with an automated chest compression device. The National Day series, organised by Event Horizons, involves three challenges: a 5.5km, 3.4km and 1.7km swim around the outlying island. Its website suggests that inflatable safety buoys were mandatory during the race. Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital. File Photo: GovHK. Event Horizons did not respond to HKFP’s enquiries, nor did they share any response or condolences on the day of the incident. In a message posted to their website on Friday, they said their emergency response mechanism was activated when a male participant suddenly felt unwell during the race: “The participant received on-site medical assistance and was transported to the hospital, but unfortunately, he passed away despite resuscitation efforts. The organisers express their deepest condolences for the participant’s passing and extend their sincerest sympathies to his family.”