Mother and son, 5, in intensive care after being swept into Hong Kong sea

A woman and her five-year-old son were hospitalised in intensive care on Tuesday after strong waves swept them into the sea at a Hong Kong waterfront during the No 8 signal for Super Typhoon Ragasa.

The family of four, including the 40-year-old father and nine-year-old daughter, had gone to the breakwater at Ka Yip Street in Chai Wan to watch the waves after the Hong Kong Observatory issued the No 8 warning signal at 2.20pm.

The mother and son were swept away by a large wave, and the father jumped into the sea to rescue them.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Fok Chun-ming said the Fire Services Department (FSD) received a report at 3.24pm about the family falling into the sea at the location.

“Upon arrival at the scene, our officers found three people who had fallen into the sea. A nearby boatman had already rescued one woman and a child, while another man was still in the water waiting for help,” he said.

He explained that due to the unstable sea conditions, transferring the woman to shore was difficult.

“The rescued woman and the child were on a boat that was more than two meters from the shore. To provide immediate first aid, firefighters had to board the boat to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to the woman,” he said.