Hong Kong police hunt for hoaxer who claimed 25 people were trapped by hill fire

Hong Kong police are searching for a hoaxer who sounded like a scared boy and made several fake emergency phone calls claiming that 25 teachers and students were trapped by a hill fire in Pat Sin Leng, Tai Po.

Police received four separate calls at about 1.45pm on Thursday from a person who reported a blaze on the 511-metre Hsien Ku Fung, one of eight peaks in the Pat Sin Leng range in the northeastern New Territories.

The caller claimed that four teachers and 21 pupils were stranded on the mountain due to the fire, implying he was there and scared.

However, the line was disconnected when the emergency call centre asked to speak with the teachers, police said.

In response, the Government Flying Service dispatched helicopters to coordinate a rescue operation. After circling the area, no fire was detected.

Firefighters were also deployed to search the site and ambulances were placed on standby, but no evidence of a blaze or trapped individuals was found.