Hong Kong field assistant dies in hospital after insect bite, hand injury
Conservation department worker Lam Kin-wai, 46, was collecting plant specimens in country park when colleagues found him kneeling on ground
A senior field assistant with the conservation department died on Wednesday after he was reportedly bitten by an insect and injured one of his hands collecting plant specimens in a Hong Kong country park.
While the Post learned Lam Kin-wai, 46, also showed signs of heatstroke, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said the cause of death of the senior field assistant would be investigated. It did not reveal what plant specimens he was collecting at Tai Mo Shan Country Park in Tai Po at the time.
“Lam’s right palm was injured when collecting plant specimens at Tai Mo Shan Country Park with his colleagues [on Wednesday] morning,” the department said. “He quickly lost consciousness.”
Lam was airlifted to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 2pm.
According to the department, Lam was mainly charged with collecting plant specimens and identifying species.
The Post learned Lam told his colleagues that he suspected he had been bitten by an insect. A source familiar with the case said Lam and his two colleagues started their journey at about 8am and began collecting samples on a slope.