Mission Details

On 12th January 2024 at 06:59, the Government Flying Service (GFS) was tasked out by the Fire Services Communications Centre (FSCC) to carry out a water bombing mission at Kai Kung Leng, New Territories. It was initially reported as a 200m fire line, spreading into several smaller patches in the area. The fire fighting continued over a period of two days, with 9 sorties being flown.

At 15:18, GFS was tasked out by FSCC to carry out water bombing at Tai Lam Country Park. The fire size was approximately 150 metre square. A total of 7 sorties have been flown in two days for the fire fighting. The fire was out on 29th December 2024 at 16:08.

On 28th December 2024 at 15:26, the Government Flying Service (GFS) was tasked out by the Fire Services Communications Centre (FSCC) to rescue a hiker who fell from a steep hill and sustained a head injury at Fung Pik Stream, Lantau.

The GFS H175 helicopter arrived on scene at 15:43. The hiker was found on a steep slope surrounded by high trees, making it impossible for winch operation. Eight members of the Mountain Search and Rescue Company (MSaRC) of the Civil Aid Service (CAS) were deployed to transfer the hiker to a clear area.

The hiker was in stable condition and was transferred to the Wanchai helipad by the helicopter at 19:03, then conveyed to hospital by ambulance for further medical attention.

At 20:53, GFS was tasked out by HKMRCC to evacuate 3 crewmembers of a speedboat, which had lost power and drifted approximately 70 nautical miles south of Hong Kong.

GFS deployed two H175 helicopters for the rescue mission, arriving on scene at 21:58. The vessel was located within five minutes, and a winchman was deployed to the vessel immediately.

All three of the crewmembers, although fatigued, were rescued with no injuries sustained. They were transferred back to GFS headquarters at 23:03 for further Police follow up.

At 02:30, GFS was tasked out by HKMRCC to evacuate a crew with vomiting and diarrhea and fallen in to unconsciousness from the fishing vessel "YUE SHEN SHAN YU 11333". The vessel was located at approximately 203 nautical miles south east of Hong Kong.

One CL605 fixed-wing aircraft and one H175 helicopter have been launched for the evacuation. The CL605 arrive the scene at 03:53 and confirmed the vessel position. Due to the location is far away from Hong Kong, the helicopter has to refuel at oil rig before pick up the patient. At 05:00, the helicopter arrived and picked up the patient by winching.

The patient was conscious with pulse and breath. The crew had continued to provide medical care for the patient. He was transferred to GFS and then by ambulance to hospital.

On 23^rd July 2024 at 15:07, the Government Flying Service (GFS) was tasked out by the Fire Services Communications Centre (FSCC) to rescue a hiker suffering from severe heatstroke at Needle Hill. The lone hiker was spotted by a passer-by, who witnessed him collapse on a hiking trail at Needle Hill. One H175 helicopter arrived on scene and located the casualty at 15:31. Two winchman were deployed with medical equipment and a stretcher. The casualty was in critical condition, convulsing and vomiting. He was immediately transferred to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital at 15:48 for further medical attention.

On 16th July 2024 at 16:45, the Government Flying Service (GFS) was tasked out by the Fire Services Communications Centre (FSCC) to rescue a medically distressed hiker at Kau Keng Shan, Tai Lam. The hiker, who reported to be suffering from chest pains, was located by the crew of a dispatched H175 helicopter at 17:05. Both the casualty and accompanying escort were air-lifted and transferred to the Wanchai helipad in stable condition at 17:40, to be conveyed to hospital by ambulance for further medical attention.

On 2nd March 2024 at 19:34, the Government Flying Service (GFS) was tasked out by the Fire Services Communications Centre (FSCC) to evacuate a hiker from Lion Rock. The hiker was stranded midway up the hill, surrounded by high trees and close to cliff edge. In response, one H175 helicopter was launched for the rescue mission. Helicopter arrived on scene at 20:02 and located the hiker. Winchman was deployed on spot and the hiker was retrieved from the cliff face. He was transferred to GFS HQ at 20:24 for further follow up from the Police.

At 8:59pm, the Government Flying Service was tasked out by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre to rescue a passenger with suspected cerebral stroke from the cruise ship "Costa Serena". The cruise ship was located at approximately 75 nautical miles east of Hong Kong.

One CL605 fixed-wing aircraft and one H175 helicopter were launched for the medical evacuation. It was a cloudy night and the helicopter had to descend below 700 feet to get through the cloud. At 10:08pm, the helicopter arrived on scene and picked up the patient by winching.

The patient was unconscious with pulse and breathing. The crew continued to provide pre-hospital care for the patient and she was transferred to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital at 11:02pm.

On 16 December 2023, at 12:57 pm, the Government Flying Service (GFS) was tasked by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) to rescue two crew members from a fishing vessel which was taking on water. The vessel was located at approximately 20 km east of Dangan Island. On scene weather was approximately 75km/h wind, sea state 5.5 meters and sea temperature 20 Degree Celsius.

GFS launched a H175 helicopter and a Challenger 605 fixed-wing aircraft for the rescue mission. The fishing vessel was reported sunken later on and overwater search was conducted for the two missing crew. A cargo vessel "PAN FREEDOM" nearby later reported sighting of the crew and directed the rescue aircraft to their position. Both crew were rescued and taken to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital for treatment at 14:13pm

A task-out request by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordinator Center (HKMRCC) was received at 17:33 to rescue a crewmember with suspected stroke on the vessel "RESORT WORLD ONE". The position was about 500 km southwest of Hong Kong.

The Government Flying Service (GFS) deployed a Challenger 605 (CL605) aircraft and a H175 helicopter for the rescue mission. The CL605 arrived on scene at 19:20 and located the vessel, followed by the helicopter. The crewmember was winched onboard and his condition was stable.

As the vessel was out of the helicopter operating range, the helicopter had to conduct a refueling stop at the oil rig "HSY116 FPSO" in South China Sea on the return leg. The patient was transferred to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital for treatment at 22:48.

On 1st September 2023 at 9am, in response to a task requested from the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), the Government Flying Service (GFS) deployed a Challenger 605 fixed-wing aircraft to conduct a tropical cyclone reconnaissance mission for the Super Typhoon Saola, situated at around 130 nautical miles east of Hong Kong.

Upon arrival, the crew deployed sondes at the designated coordinates (Latitude: 21.8 degrees North, Longitude: 116.3 degrees East) and altitudes as requested by the HKO to collect the meteorological data of the typhoon. The photos taken by the crew showed that the eyewall of the super typhoon was well defined, with tightly-wound circulation, indicating a developed mature storm.

The meteorological data collected was sent to the HKO in real time via the satellite system for the analysis of the intensity and three-dimensional structure of the tropical cyclone, as well as the prediction of the storm's development and track, holding significant importance for the government's typhoon action plan.

As Typhoon Nesat intensified and made its way to the South China Sea from the northern Philippines on 17 Oct 2022, it saw the joint efforts from our Search and Rescue crew in an evacuation mission to bring the ship crew of a cargo vessel to safety.

At 10:00 am, the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre tasked out GFS to evacuate the crew of the cargo vessel "Sheng Li" which was reportedly taking in water at 260 km southeast of HK.

One Challenger 605 aircraft and two H175 helicopters were involved in this mission. After hours of effort battling against the strong wind, all seven ship crew members (2 Taiwanese and 7 Indonesian) were brought to the GFS Headquarters at 1:45 pm.

But that didn't end our work for the day. After the rescue mission, the Challenger 605 continued for a dropsonde operation to collect weather data near Nesat in assisting the typhoon forecast work of the Hong Kong Observatory.

The latest forecast path shows that the typhoon is moving westward across the South China Sea and will land at the eastern part of Vietnam in the afternoon of the 21st of the month.

On 26 December 2021, at 1110 hours HKT, the Government Flying Service (GFS) was tasked by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre to respond to a fishing vessel on fire incident. The vessel was located at approximately 5 nm east of Sai Kung. 10 ship crew abandoned the vessel as the ship was taking on water and in danger of sinking. On scene weather was approximately 20km/h wind, sea state 4 meters and sea temperature 20 Degree Celsius. 7 ship crew were rescued by surface rescue boat. GFS was tasked to search for the 3 missing ship crew.

GFS has launched three H175 helicopters and a Challenger 605 fixed-wing aircraft for the search. The first helicopter arrived on-scene at 1150 hours and identified the subject vessel. The fixed-wing aircraft arrived on scene at 1152 hours. At 1205 hours, 1 person was spotted afloat in rough sea and was recovered by GFS helicopter. The ship crew was found unconscious and CPR was in-progress by crew throughout the time while he was being flown to Wan Chai Helipad for onwards ambulance transfer to hospital. GFS will continue the search with other rescue parties for the 2 remaining ship crew.

At 1317 hours, 29 November 2017, Government Flying Service (GFS) was tasked out by Fire Servicers Communication Center (FSCC) to rescue a hiker who fell from height at Suicide Cliff, Kowloon Peak.

At 1345 hours, the helicopter on scene and located the victim who was trapped by a tree halfway of a sheared cliff. Due to terrain, only a small area for rescuers to gain foothold for any direct rescue operations, as the location was difficult to access, two winchmen from GFS and four High Angle Rescue Team members from FSD were deployed in order to secure the victim for recovery. The victim was assessed and found in critical condition and need to be evacuated immediately.

At 1513 hours, the rescue party managed to transfer the victim onto a stretcher and recovered to the helicopter for onward transfer to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital for medical treatment.

On 26 November 2017, at 1340 hours, Fire Servicers Communication Center (FSCC) tasked out GFS for a mountain rescue at Kau Nga Ling, Lantau Island to rescue a hiker who fell from height.

At 1348 hours, an EC155B1 helicopter arrived on-scene to search and locate the casualty.

At 1405 hours, a Super Puma helicopter arrived on scene. An Air crewman officer and an Air Medical Officer (AMO) were deployed to the casualty location. Unfortunately, after the casualty was assessed by the party, he was certified by the AMO at 1440 hours.

With the efforts from the CAS Mountain Rescue Unit Members, the deceased casualty was transferred to GFS headquarters at 1644 hours.

At 07:00, GFS was alerted by HKMRCC that a Chinese vessel had been sinking about 64 nautical miles East of Hong Kong. 11 crew members were reported waiting for rescue on the bridge deck and believed to be wearing lifejackets.

At 08:00 1 Challenger 605 fixed wing was deployed to the area and arrived on-scene after 22 minutes. The target vessel was located at 08:38. Bow of the vessel was already submerged. It was confirmed with HKMRCC that the crew members were staying inside the control room. 7 minutes later, all 11 crew members were located.

At 08:20 1 Super Puma L2 helicopter was deployed and arrived on-scene at 09:17. All 11 crew members were rescued at 09:40 and both aircraft returned to GFS Headquarters. The helicopter landed at 10:40.

10 of the crew members’ condition are stable with no injuries. 1 crew member suffered from minor injury on both feet and was treated by GFS. No further medical treatment was required.

The mission was stood down at 10:50.

The search area was located at the East of the severe tropical storm PAKHAR that caused the number 8 typhoon signal to be hoisted in Hong Kong. Hence, the rescue area was affected by hurricane force winds with low cloud base and rough sea state. The crew reported heavy rain with poor visibility down to 500m.

On 23 Aug at 13:45 2017 GFS was alerted by HKMRCC that a Chinese cargo vessel had run aground against reef rocks and half sub-merged into the water about 15 nautical miles South West of Hong Kong. 14 crew members were reported in the water but believed to be wearing lifejackets. Since the vessel was slanting, other rescue vessels were unable to get close to assist, the rescue mission can only rely on our helicopters.

Three helicopters were immediately deployed to the area and arrived on-scene at 14:22. The search area was located at the East of the severe typhoon HATO that caused the number 10 typhoon signal to be hoisted in Hong Kong. Hence, the rescue area was affected by hurricane force winds with low cloud base and heavy rain with poor visibility. The sea state was rough with 10-14 meters swell.

At 14:55 12 crew members were rescued by GFS helicopters, 2 are still missing. The 12 survivors rescued were brought back to GFS Headquarters at the Chek Lap Kok airport. As the survivors were only suffering from minor injuries, none were sent to hospital.

With several other vessels spotted as either capsized or run aground, 3 Super Puma L2 helicopters are still conducting the search and rescue operations in the area.

At 15:46, 1 person in water from another vessel was picked up by GFS helicopter. As he was suffering from hypothermia, he was sent to hospital on arrival at GFS HQ.

At 16:40, 8 persons in water were picked up.

At 17:15, 1 person in water was picked up.

At 18:05, 1 person in water was picked up. As he was unconscious, he was sent to hospital on arrival at GFS HQ.

At 19:00, 16 persons were picked up.

At 19:15, the Search and Rescue operation was temporary stopped.

On 24 Aug 2017, after Severe Typhoon HATO has passed, GFS continued the Search and Rescue operations at the first light and rescued another 12 crew at WANSHAN DAO.

At 09:24 GFS was alerted by HKMRCC that a Chinese cargo vessel had sunk about 40 miles East of Hong Kong after an uncontrollable engine fire, 12 crew members were reported missing but believed to be wearing lifejackets.

A helicopter and an aeroplane were immediately deployed to the area and arrived on-scene at 10:05 to join a Chinese rescue vessel and a helicopter from Zhuhai. The search area was located at the centre of the tropical storm that caused the number 8 typhoon signal to be hoisted in Hong Kong. Consequently, the weather on scene was poor with low cloud, strong wind creating a rough sea state with a 3 to 4 metre swell.

The GFS Helicopter located a group of 10 casualties, of which 6 were rescued by the helicopter with the remaining 4 recovered by a helicopter from Zhuhai. While GFS launched another Helicopter to join the Challenger 605 to search for the 2 missing casualties, the 6 casualties rescued by GFS were brought back to base at the Chek Lap Kok airport and 3 were sent to hospital to be treated for minor injuries by ambulances.

At 11:38, Challenger 605 located the 2 missing casualties and co-ordinated with the on-scene vessels for the rescue. At 11:54 a GFS Helicopter arrived on-scene to render assistance for the rescue, the 2 casualties were finally recovered by a rescue vessel.

The rescue operation was terminated at 12:05 when all the casualties were accounted for and all remaining GFS aircraft returned to base.

On 21st March 2017 at 20:16, the Fire Services Communications Centre (FSCC) requested the assistance of the Government Flying Service (GFS) to air-lift two hikers who had lost their way at Tiu Shau Ngam near Ma On Shan area.

From an updated weather report with the observation of the Marine Police, the GFS crew was given to know that the on-scene visibility was around 2 to 3 kilometers and the cloud base was about 700 feet. The GFS helicopter could not be launched for the rescue in view of the low visibility and cloud base on scene.

At 00:33 of the following day, FSCC re-tasked GFS for the rescue. Unfortunately, the weather condition remained unsuitable for the helicopter to proceed to the rescue.

At 05:25, GFS was tasked out by FSCC to rescue a fireman who was involved in the rescue operation of the lost way hikers and accidently fell from height and collapsed near the vicinity. A Super Puma helicopter was deployed and arrived on the scene at 07:00. However, the location of the injured fireman was fully covered by low cloud with turbulence conditions which rendered GFS unable to execute the rescue operation.

Given the weather conditions had improved slightly later, a second Super Puma was launched at 08:20. Upon arriving on the scene at 08:40, the crew found that the weather was unsettled. Despite several attempts, the rescue helicopter was still unable to get close to the scene to rescue the fireman. From 11:05 onward, the GFS crew had made several attempts to approach the scene but was forced to return due to poor weather conditions on scene.

At around 14:10, GFS launched a third Super Puma with fresh crew to continue the rescue mission. After several attempts, the injured fireman was successfully rescued and conveyed to the Prince of Wales Hospital.

The helicopter then returned to the scene and air-lifted the two lost way hikers with 6 other firemen.

At 17:55, all the 22 firemen who were involved in this rescue operation were air-lifted from the scene to safety.

The Government Flying Service (GFS) received a task out request from the Fire Services Communications Centre (FSCC) at 14:02 on 12th February 2017 to rescue a 60-year-old male who fell 100 meters from a ridge at Kau Nga Ling on the southern side of Lantau.

A Super Puma helicopter was diverted from a search and rescue mission and arrived on scene at 14:31. The helicopter located the injured person who was trapped by trees and branches about 100 meters beneath the ridge line. The location was found to be a very steep slope, which posed difficulties to the rescue mission. After a detailed area assessment, the winchman was deployed on the spot for the rescue. After initial assessment, the winchman reported that the injured person was suffering from a serious head injury and hip fracture. Additional manpower to effect the rescue was required. The helicopter responded and returned to GFS base to pick up an additional winchman and 4 members of the CAS MRU at 14:50.

The Super Puma helicopter returned to the scene at 15:05. The additional winchman together with 2 members of the MRU were deployed by winching to assist in the rescue mission. At 16:00, the helicopter recovered the casualty and delivered him to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital at 16:09.

The whole mission was completed at 16:21.

於2017年2月12日13時21分，政府飛行服務隊接獲消防通訊中心通知，要求拯救一名年約50歲於西貢蚺蛇尖遠足時手部受傷的女行山人士。

飛行服務隊即時應要求，調派一架超級美洲豹直升機作出救援，於13時51分直升機到達現場。未幾，機組人員隨即發現於蚺蛇尖山腰有一群遠足人士揮動着雨傘。機組人員視察現場環境後，選擇了在距離傷者20米處的一個山脊降落，派出了拯救員和航空醫生接近傷者並評估她的傷勢，檢查後發現，該名女行山人士雙手臂脫臼，必須在現場即時固定傷勢，以防惡化。

於14時10分，正當直升機在現場盤旋等待傷者治療期間，政府飛行服務隊接獲消防通訊中心指另有一名60歲的男士於大嶼山狗牙嶺一處山脊墮下100米，要求派出直升機到場搜索和救援。政府飛行服務隊指揮中心衡量兩宗個案的緊急程度後，決定作出協助立刻調派正在蚺蛇尖救援，但會較快到達大嶼山現場的超級美洲豹直升機前往狗牙嶺；與此同時飛行服務隊指揮中心亦會安排一架海豚直升機，到西貢蚺蛇尖把該名受傷女士接離現場，海豚直升機最終在傷者附近降落，連同傷者的一位同伴，在14時52分送離現場，並於14時56分將傷者轉送至東區尤德夫人那打素醫院。

The Government Flying Service (GFS) received a task out request from the Fire Services Communications Centre (FSCC) at 16:05 on 20th January 2017 for aerial firefighting at Sugar Loaf Peak on the eastern side of Shing Mun River, Shatin.

A Dolphin helicopter was diverted and arrived on scene at 16:27 to conduct a fire site recce. The helicopter reported a 200 meter long fire line with multiple isolated fires around the area. At 16:30, a Super Puma helicopter was launched and arrived on scene at 16:42. The helicopter fought the fire until sunset and then returned to base. As requested by FSCC, 2 Super Puma helicopters were launched to carry firemen to the fire scene at 18:31 and 23:42 respectively to continue the firefighting after dark. Due to a fresh northeasterly wind with low humidity, the spread of the fire was difficult to contain, in particular on the steep slopes and at the bottom of a valley.

On 21st January, 4 Super Puma helicopters were launched to fight the fire at 08:00, 10:30, 14:10 and 14:45 respectively. GFS also provided 3 Dolphin and 2 Super Puma helicopters to carry firefighters to the fire scene at 07:40, 10:05, 14:05, 17:35 and 20:57 respectively. By a collaborative effort between the FSD and GFS, most of the fire was put out while the remaining small sections were contained.

On 22nd January, 2 Super Puma helicopters and 1 Dolphin were launched to fight the remaining areas of the fire and to carry firemen to the sceneat 07:45, 10:44 and 08:46 respectively.

The whole firefighting mission was finally completed at 13:22 on 22nd January.

On 1st August 2016, in respond to a task request from the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) the Government Flying Service sent out a Challenger 605 fixed-wing aircraft to collect meteorological data of Typhoon Nida situated at some 200 nautical miles south east of Hong Kong. The collected data was later used by the Observatory in forecasting a precise track of the typhoon.

Commissioning to service from mid 2016, the Challenger 605 is equipped with a specialized air probe for collecting meteorological data like wind direction and speed, and air humidity.

In the beginning of the flight, the weather was considered calm and free of turbulence. As the Challenger 605 aircraft approached the typhoon from 2000 feet, it found the sea full of white caps and the wind speed was gusting up to 80 knots at the outer zone of Nida. However, the wind speed drastically reduced to less than 10 knots when the storm eye was reached. The aircraft returned to Hong Kong at 1750 hours and the collected data was handed to the HKO for further evaluation.

On 28th May 2016, at 1455 hours HKT, the Government Flying Service (GFS) was alerted by the Fire Services Communication Center (FSCC) that a group of 4 hikers were abseiling down the Ping Nam Stream, and 2 of them were reported being washed down the stream with increasing speed and strength of the water due to the heavy rain.

A Super Puma helicopter was deployed on scene at 1524 hours HKT. With the unstable weather, which posed great difficulties to the rescue mission and potentially endangered flight safety, the helicopter could only begin their search from the bottom of the stream and work their way up-stream as far as the weather permitted. With due consideration of the unstable weather, at 1550 hours HKT, 4 members of the Mountain Rescue Unit (MRU) were deployed at a village close to the bottom of Ping Nam Stream to conduct the search on ground. The helicopter then departed from the scene at 1554 hours HKT and returned to base.

At 1750 hours HKT, GFS was tasked out again by the FSCC for a group of 16 hikers, including the 2 hikers who had been reported to be washed away earlier, were trapped by the violent stream. A Super Puma helicopter was deployed on scene at 1823 hours HKT to conduct the search and rescue mission. However, at 1853 hours HKT, the helicopter was diverted to Nam Chung for another search and rescue mission. At 1913 hours HKT, ground party reached the group of 16 hikers and started to escort them to safety.

At 1852 hours HKT, GFS was alerted by the FSCC again that a group of 8 hikers reported that they were lost near Nam Chung (north of the Ping Nam Stream).

At 1853 hours HKT, as requested by FSCC, GFS re-deployed the helicopter at Ping Nam Stream to Nam Chung to search for this group. At 1943 hours HKT, the group of 8 hikers was located at KK12419151. After passing the information to the officer-in-charge of the FSD ground party, the helicopter stayed on-scene to provide spotlight illumination support under darkness until reaching minimum fuel at 1956 hours HKT. At 2119 hours HKT, the FSD ground party reached the group of 8 hikers and escorted them to safety.

On 24th January 2016, Hong Kong had experienced one of the most severe cold weather periods in 59 years with the passage of the winter monsoon. The air temperature dropped abruptly to 2 deg Celsius while on high ground the air temperature was recorded below 0 deg Celsius. At 0733 hours HKT, Fire Services Communication Center (FSCC) informed Government Flying Service (GFS) that 4 young people were suffering hypothermia at Lantau Peak and their conditions were critical. Immediately, GFS tasked out a rescue team with one AS332 L2 Super Puma to respond, despite gusting wind up to 50kts with icy rain at Lantau Peak. The 4 hikers were successfully rescued and returned to GFS. They were then transferred to the nearest hospital by FSD ambulance services.

At 0920 hours HKT, FSCC requested GFS to evacuate a mass number of hikers at Tai Mo Shan. The hikers, mostly involved in a hiking race, were trapped by severe cold and gusty weather conditions around Tai Mo Shan check point. A Super Puma was deployed the scene and a winchman was lowered to the ground to assess the situation. However, due to the extreme low temperature, icy rain and wind-chill effect over the high ground, ice started to form quickly on part of the airframe. . As a safety precaution, the aircraft was forced to depart the area temporarily which left behind the winchman to take care of the hikers who were suffering from hypothermia. Later as the weather conditions improved, the rescue helicopter was redeployed back to the scene and rescued one hiker with head injuries and transferred him to Eastern Hospital while another two hypothermic hikers were returned to GFS.

For the whole day on 24 January, GFS mounted continuous rescue efforts to support FSD and CAS for the Tai Mo Shan incident. Due to the extreme weather conditions at high altitude , GFS helicopters were forced to descend to lower altitude from time to time to avoid a buildup of airframe icing which was hazardous to flight operations and increased the risk to the crews involved. On that day, GFS mobilized 14 Pilots, 14 Aircrewman Officers and 7 Air Medical Officers or Air Medical Nursing Officers in 7 rounds of flights, with a total of 8.79 flying hours. A total of 7 hikers were rescued.

On 27th November 2015, at 1125 hours HKT, the Government Flying Service (GFS) was alerted by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) that a bulk vessel named "Fortune Life" was taking in water, and the Captain decided to abandon ship. The vessel was accommodating 19 crew members and located at about 685km southeast of Hong Kong.

Due to the extreme range of the incident location, GFS tasked out a fixed-wing aircraft Jetstream 41 for the search and rescue mission. GFS mobilized 30 Pilots and 15 Aircrewman Officers in 15 rounds of flights in 10 days, with a total of 77.08 flying hours, for this search and rescue mission. The GFS aircrew accurately deployed 2 inflatable life rafts for the survivors in water. The Jetstream 41 also coordinated with the vessels nearby and 8 distressed crew members were rescued by the vessels.

On 8th December 2015, at 2100 hours HKT, the MRCC gave GFS a stand down notification.

In the evening of 25th October 2015, GFS were tasked by the Hong Kong Fire Services Communication Centre that a jetfoil ferry with 179 passengers on board had collided with an unidentified object and was taking in water. The initial estimate was that there were 30 casualties with various degrees of injury.

Two Super Puma helicopters were prepared and extra crew members were called in. The jetfoil was quickly located by the two helicopters involved, surrounded by Fireboats and Police vessels that were taking onboard the uninjured and minor injured persons. A GFS winchman was deployed onto the jetfoil and a total of 8 of the most serious casualties were winched by the two helicopters and taken to either the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital or the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre heliport for ambulance transfer to other hospitals.

The Government Flying Service (GFS) received a task out request from the Fire Services Communications Centre (FSCC) at 11:59 on 6th October 2015 to rescue a 60-year-old male who fell 20 meters from a stream at Ngau Ngak Shan.

A Super Puma helicopter was launched and arrived on scene at 12:00. Cloud was generally around 1200 feet and was drifting in and out. The helicopter located the injured person laying on the rock inside a gully. There was unstable weather and the location was found to be very close-by a steep cliff and surrounded by other steeply inclined slopes, which posed difficulties to the rescue mission and potentially endangered flight safety. A request was therefore made for a team of firemen to be ready at the Shatin Fire Station to assist in the rescue mission. In consideration of the unstable weather and fuel endurance, the helicopter decided to return to base at 13:05.

Another Super Puma helicopter was launched and arrived at Shatin at 14:07. However, due to heavy rain at that moment, the helicopter had to detour and landed at the Shatin Fire Station at 14:36 to pick up 5 members of the High Angle Rescue Team (HART) for the rescue. At 15:03, the helicopter deployed the High Angle Rescue Team at a location some 800 meters North-west of the injured person and due to its fuel status, the helicopter returned to base.

Later, a third Super Puma helicopter was launched and reached the scene at 15:04. Cloud was still drifting around the scene of the incident with slight turbulence. However, a winchman was successfully deployed at 15:15. With safety measures and assistance from the HART, the injured person was winched into the helicopter at 15:31. The helicopter was then off scene and arrived at the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital at 15:43. The injured person was handed over to the hospital staff for treatment.

On 4th October 2015, at 1520 hours HKT, the Government Flying Service (GFS) was alerted by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre that a cargo vessel ran aground, and the Master decided to abandon ship as the ship was taking on water and in danger of sinking, encountering stormy weather with wind of approximately 74km/h and rough sea state of 4m swell on-scene; visibility was occasionally down to 500m in heavy showers. The vessel was accommodating 14 crew members and located at about 212km west of Hong Kong.

GFS tasked out a fixed-wing aircraft Jetstream 41 and 2 Super Puma helicopter at 1530 hours HKT and 1700 hours HKT respectively. The fixed-wing aircraft arrived on-scene at 1635 hours HKT, and identified the subject vessel. The rescue helicopter arrived on-scene at 1636 hours HKT. All 14 crew members were picked up at 1721 hours HKT, and were brought back to GFS headquarters, while one of them was further sent to the hospital by ambulance for treatment.

On 16th September 2014, at approximately one o'clock in the morning, a 96-meter long Chinese cargo ship "HAO JUN" positioned about 20 kilometers southwest of Macau, lost power and the Master decided to abandon ship as the ship was taking on water and in danger of sinking. The Guangdong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre requested assistance from the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre and the Government Flying Service was then tasked to rescue the crew.

There was a very strong wind of 100 kilometers per hour as the Typhoon Signal Number 8 was hoisted for Typhoon Kalmaegi creating 10-meter waves battering the vessel. The heavy rain showers cleared the area, allowing the helicopter to be on scene quickly and execute the rescue. The winching conditions were extremely challenging with the rough sea causing the vessel to move violently. But after an hour, all 14 crew members were rescued and brought back to Hong Kong while one of them was further sent to the hospital by ambulance for treatment.

A fresh crew were called in to respond to a further request received at 04:55 hours to rescue the 11-man crew of a barge that was reported aground in virtually the same location as the cargo vessel. After arrival on scene, the helicopter was no longer required as the seas had calmed down to allow the crew to be evacuated by boat.

A task-out request by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (HKMRCC) was received at 18:05 for evacuating an injured crewmember who had suffered from severe burns by hot water on a Taiwan fishing vessel. The fishing vessel was about 400 km South West of Hong Kong.

The Government Flying Service (GFS) deployed a Super Puma helicopter and a Jetstream 41 (J-41) aeroplane at 19:39 and 19:42 respectively. The J-41 arrived on scene first and located the fishing vessel at 20:35. It established a two-way communication with the fishing vessel and remained on scene as top cover until the helicopter arrived later.

The helicopter arrived on scene at 21:15. It was a very dark night with no horizon. The fishing vessel was pitching up and down with wires and masts due to a rough sea. The winching area on the fishing vessel was small. These caused great difficulties to the rescue mission. The injured crewmember was winched from the fishing vessel into the helicopter after several attempts. The patient was in severe pain but stable. The helicopter was off scene at 21:45. The helicopter had to conduct a refuelling stop at a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel in South China Sea on the return leg. The patient was transferred to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital for treatment at 01:14 on 22nd February.

A task-out request by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (HKMRCC) was received at 06:55 to rescue a crewmember who suffered from head injury on a Hong Kong fishing vessel. The vessel was about 320 km South West of Hong Kong.

The Government Flying Service (GFS) deployed a Jetstream 41 (J-41) aeroplane and a Super Puma helicopter. The J-41 arrived on scene first and located the vessel quickly. The rescue helicopter arrived soon and the injured crewmember was winched onboard at 09:15. He was then taken to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital for treatment.

A task-out request by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (HKMRCC) was received at 09:52 for evacuating an injured crewmember who had fallen from height on a yacht "SURFDUDE". The yacht was about 424 km South of Hong Kong.

The Government Flying Service (GFS) deployed a Super Puma helicopter and a Jetstream 41 (J-41) aeroplane at 10:58 and 11:05 respectively. As the yacht was out of the normal operating range of the rescue helicopter, the helicopter had to conduct a refuelling stop en-route at an oil-rig in South China Sea. The J-41 arrived on scene first and located the yacht at 13:15. It established a two-way communication with the yacht and remained on scene as top cover until the helicopter arrived later.

The helicopter arrived on scene at 13:25. The yacht was swaying with a high mast due to a rough sea. The winching area on the yacht was small and badly obstructed by some wires. These caused great difficulties to the rescue mission. The injured crewmember was winched from the yacht and he was stable. The J-41 and the helicopter were off scene at 15:36 and 15:53 respectively. Two air medical nursing officers onboard was monitoring the patient's condition throughout the return flight. The helicopter conducted another refueling stop on the oil-rig on the return leg. The patient was transferred to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital at 16:34 for treatment.

A task-out request by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (HKMRCC) was received at 01:40 on 18th October 2013 to rescue 10 crew members on a sinking yacht "WALAWALA2". Eventually, the yacht sank and the crew was on a life raft, waiting for rescue. The position was about 240 km southwest of Hong Kong.

The Government Flying Service (GFS) deployed a Jetstream 41 (J-41) and a Super Puma Helicopter for the rescue mission. The fixed-wing aircraft and the helicopter departed from GFS headquarters at 03:26 and 03:35 respectively. Meanwhile, MRCC updated that all 10 crew members were picked up by a yacht nearby, called "KRAMPUS". At approximately 03:55, the J-41 arrived on scene, located the yacht "KRAMPUS" and established a two-way communication. The J-41 remained on scene as a top cover until the helicopter arrived later.

The helicopter arrived on scene at 04:28 and spotted the target yacht. The weather was unstable with wind strength up to strength 6-7 and the sea state was 4-5 metres at the target location. This made the yacht with a high mast an unstable platform to deploy the winchman in a pitch dark night. After several trials, the helicopter crew deployed the winchman onto the yacht and established the transfer of the crew by the HI-LINE technique. 8 crew members and the winchman were subsequently recovered to the helicopter. Finally, the helicopter has reached its minimum fuel for its return flight and departed the scene at 05:50. The remaining 2 crew members were transferred back to Hong Kong by the yacht "KRAMPUS" on 19th October 2013. All 8 crew members were stable and conscious. They were transferred back to the GFS headquarters at 06:45 and handed over to the Immigration Department for clearance.

A task-out request by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (HKMRCC) was received at 16:44 on 11th Sepember 2013 to rescue a crew member who was reported suffering from serious hand injury after falling from height on a container vessel "Wan Shou Shan". The position was about 550 km South East of Hong Kong.

As the vessel was out of the helicopter operating range, it was requested to head cruise towards Hong Kong to shorten the distance range. The Government Flying Service (GFS) tasked out a Super Puma helicopter and a Jetstream 41 (J-41) aeroplane at 19:27 and 20:02 respectively. Because of the extended range, the rescue helicopter had to conduct a refuelling stop en-route at an oil-rig in South China Sea at 20:36. The J-41 arrived on scene and located the vessel at 21:34. It established a two-way communication with the vessel and remained on scene as top cover until the helicopter arrived later.

The helicopter arrived on scene at 21:52. It was raining heavily with visibility around four kilometres. The helicopter landed on a helicopter landing area at the centre of deck of the vessel. The casualty was escorted into the helicopter by an aircrewman officer. His wrist was fractured and right foreman deformed but the general condition was stable. The helicopter and the J-41 departed from the vessel at 22:30 and flew directly back to Hong Kong. The helicopter landed at the Eastern Hospital to transfer the casualty at 23:53.

A task-out request by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (HKMRCC) was received at 02:00 on 22nd August 2013 to rescue a crew member who was reported suffering from serious illness onboard a container vessel "ELLY MAERSK". The position was about 330 km south of Hong Kong.

The Government Flying Service (GFS) called in 2 fixed-wing pilots and 2 Aircrewman officers and deployed a Jetstream 41 (J-41) and a Super Puma Helicopter for the rescue mission. Both aircraft departed from GFS headquarters at 03:40. At approximately 04:20, the J-41 arrived on scene, located the vessel and made two-way communication. The J-41 remained on scene as top cover until the helicopter arrived later.

The rescue helicopter encountered poor weather with low cloud base during en-route. The weather improved towards the position of the vessel. The helicopter arrived on scene at 04:40 and immediately deployed a winchman onboard the vessel to assess the situation. The patient and the winchman were subsequently recovered to the helicopter at 05:24. The patient was stable and conscious but displayed signs of confusion. The J-41 and the helicopter were both off scene and started returning to Hong Kong at 05:24. Due to poor visibility at the hospital, the patient was transferred back to GFS headquarters at 06:20 and then sent to hospital by ambulance.

On 14th August, 2013, at 10:39, the Government Flying Service (GFS) was requested by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre to evacuate 21 crew members from a cargo vessel "TRANS SUMMER". The cargo vessel was about 80 Kilometers South West of Hong Kong and was being affected by Severe Typhoon Utor.

A Jetstream J-41 aeroplane flew to the scene first and the cargo vessel was quickly located. The vessel was listing badly. The crewmembers had abandoned the vessel before the J-41 aeroplane arrived on scene. Two Super Puma helicopters were also launched to rescue the crewmembers. The waves were 10 to 15 meters high and the wind was about 90 kilometers per hour. A total of 19 crewmembers were winched into the two helicopters from the sea or liferafts. The remaining 2 crewmembers were picked up by a Chinese rescue vessel. The 19 crewmembers were then taken to the GFS headquarters at the Hong Kong International Airport as medical attention was not required.

The Government Flying Service (GFS) received a task out request from the Fire Services Communication Centre (FSCC) at 15:25 on 29th July 2013. The mission was to rescue a male biker struck by lightning in Wa Shan, Sheung Shui. GFS was told that the patient was conscious and helicopter rescue was required.

GFS launched a Super Puma Helicopter for the rescue mission. It arrived on the scene at 15:54 and located the patient immediately. The patient was airlifted onto the rescue helicopter at 16:10. The patient was conscious with normal vital signs; however, some suspected burn marks from the lightning strike were found near the patient's neck. Finally, the patient was transferred to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital.

On 18th July, 2013, at 07:00, the Government Flying Service (GFS) was alerted by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre that a Vanuatu fishing vessel had lost her engine power and was encountering very stormy weather with wind of approximately 50km/h and rough sea state of 4m to 5m swell on-scene. The fishing vessel consisted of 12 crewmembers and located at about 400km south-east of Hong Kong near the track of Tropical Storm, Cimaron.

GFS tasked out a Super Puma helicopter and a Jet Stream 41 aeroplane at 08:20 and 09:00 respectively. The J-41 aeroplane arrived on-scene at 10:10 and located the target vessel. Because of the extended range, the rescue helicopter had to conduct a refuelling stop en-route at an oil-rig in South China Sea. The rescue helicopter arrived on-scene at 11:25. The rescue helicopter picked up 6 Vanuatu crewmembers from the fishing vessel and conducted another refueling stop on the oil-rig again on the return leg. A Chinese rescue boat was in transit to recover the 6 Chinese crewmembers remained on the vessel.

At 16:22 on 7th July, the Fire Service Department (FSD) requested assistance from the Government Flying Service (GFS) to rescue an injured hiker suffering from head injury after falling from height at Wong Lung Stream, Lantau Island.

A Super Puma helicopter was launched and arrived on scene at 17:13. The helicopter located the injured hiker at the stream, which was very swift due to heavy rain. The injured hiker was surrounded by boulders and dense foliage. These factors posed difficulties to the rescue mission and potentially endangered flight safety. As it was not suitable to deploy a winchman only onto the scene, the helicopter returned to the GFS base. Then, the helicopter carried four members of the Mountain Search and Rescue Company (MSRC) of the Civil Aid Service (CAS) onboard. At 17:56, the helicopter successfully deployed two members of the MSRC and the winchman onto the scene. With safety measures and assistance from the MSRC, the injured hiker was recovered into the helicopter with the winchman. At 18:11, the helicopter left the scene. At 18:12, the injured hiker was however certified dead by the air medical officer onboard while the helicopter was on the way to the hospital.

The Government Flying Service (GFS) was tasked out by the Fire Services Department to rescue a worker who had fallen from height at Kei Leng Ha Lo Wai, Sai Kung (KK192808) at 12:15 on 26th February 2013.

GFS deployed a Super Puma Helicopter for the rescue at 12:30 and it was on-scene at 12:40. The survivor was located at the given grid with 3 firemen. As the survivor was located at the bottom of a cliff with tall trees around, a winchman was deployed on the spot. After an initial medical assessment, the survivor was found conscious but suffering from head and left shoulder injuries. Finally, the winchman and the survivor were picked up by the rescue helicopter at 13:08 using HI-LINE winching and the survivor was transferred to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital at 13:12.

Government Flying Service (GFS) was tasked out by the Fire Services Department to rescue 2 hikers who had fallen from height at Ngau Ngak Shan, Ma On Shan (KK172810) at 14:21 on 21st February 2013.

GFS deployed a Super Puma Helicopter for the rescue at 14:26 and it was on-scene at 14:36. As the hikers fell into a deep gorge and the area was heavily vegetated, the rescue crew had difficulty in locating the hikers at first. After direct contact on the phone with the hikers, the crew identified them and eventually deployed 2 winchmen for the rescue. The initial medical assessment of the survivors found they had suffered back injury and were unable to move. The winchmen on-scene required 30 mins to provide medical treatments to the survivors, so the helicopter returned to the GFS base for refueling. Finally, both survivors and winchmen were picked up by the helicopter at 16:04 and both injured survivors were transferred to the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital at 16:47.

The major difficulty of this rescue mission was because the location of the survivors was very close to a steep cliff and so the helicopter had to work very near obstacles.in a high hover to carry out winching, which was a challenge for our crew. Moreover, the conditions of the survivors required extensive on-the-spot medical treatment by 2 winchmen before sending them to the hospital. Providing medical treatment in such a demanding environment is also a valuable experience to our crew.

At 04:02 this Friday morning, 18th January 2013, GFS was alerted by the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre that contact had been lost with a Hong Kong registered fishing vessel after it had collided with a cargo vessel. A Jetstream J41 fixed wing aircraft and a Super Puma helicopter were sent to the incident position which was about 120 kilometers south west of Hong Kong. A further helicopter crew were called in and placed on immediate readiness to assist the helicopter on scene.

The weather in the incident area was relatively good but the air and sea temperatures were cool. The helicopter arrived on scene at 05:40 and was directed to a flashing light in the water by the fixed wing aircraft. Two survivors were rescued from water by helicopter. They were suffering from hypothermia. The remaining 4 fishing boat crew members were taken aboard a vessel that was assisting in the search.

The survivors on the helicopter were taken to Eastern Hospital on Hong Kong Island.

Government Flying Service (GFS) was tasked out by the Fire Services Department to rescue a male who was suspected being hit by a boat and suffering from head injury at Leung Shuen Wan, Sai Kung (KK268713) at 12:57 on 10th July 2012.

GFS deployed a Super Puma Helicopter for the rescue at 13:08. Later, GFS Air Command and Control Centre (ACCC) was informed that the injured person had been transferred to a Police Launch. The update information was then passed to the rescue helicopter and it arrived on scene at 13:15. A GFS winchman was deployed to the Police Launch to assess the situation.

The rescue helicopter picked up the injured person from the Police Launch at 13:30. The injured person was reported sustained head injury with serious bleeding. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was given en-route. At 13:33, The Helicopter landed at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital (PYNEH) and the injured person was transferred to the hospital.

A tasking-out request by Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (HKMRCC) was received at 19:01 on 5th July 2012 to rescue two crew members who were reported suffering from serious head injuries onboard a Vietnam fishing vessel. The position was about 370 km south of Hong Kong.

Government Flying Service (GFS) deployed a Jetstream 41 (J-41) and a Super Puma Helicopter for the rescue mission. The aircraft departed from headquarters at 19:14 & 19:35 respectively. At approximately 20:09, the J-41 arrived on scene and located the vessel. The vessel was positively identified by flashing light and confirmed by HKMRCC. As the J-41 was unable to establish effective communication with the vessel, all messages were relayed via HKMRCC. Subsequently, the J-41 remained on scene as top cover until the helicopter arrived later.

As the position of the vessel was outside the normal range of the rescue helicopter, a refuelling stop en-route was required halfway at an oil-rig in South China Sea. The rescue helicopter arrived on scene at 22:02. In total darkness and open sea conditions, the helicopter deployed a winchman onboard the fishing vessel to assess the situation. It was revealed that the two casualties were unconscious and suffering from two to three degrees burnt. The two casualties and the winchman were recovered back to the helicopter at 22:39. The J-41 and the helicopter were both off scene and returning to Hong Kong at 22:40. The rescue helicopter landed at Eastern Hospital and transferred the casualties to the hospital at 00:05 on 6th July 2012.

A serious traffic accident occurred in Sai Kung in which two minivans collided head-on at around 1520 on Sunday, 10th March 2012. A total of 22 people were reported injured in this accident. Due to large number of casualties and traffic gridlock, GFS was requested by Fire Service Department at 1559 to conduct highway rescue mission. Due to limited landing area available for helicopter at accident scene, GFS coordinated with FSD and HKPF to use Marine Police East Div HQs at Sai Kung as triage point for casualty transfer by helicopter.

At 1621, an EC155B1 helicopter was deployed on-scene. Subsequently at 1627, an AS332L2 Super Puma helicopter was deployed to Sai Kung Marine Police East Div HQs. At 1636, a seriously injured casualty and an escort were picked up by the Super Puma helicopter. They were transferred to the Eastern Hospital 6 minutes later.

A Chinese fishing vessel "粵陸豐29928" was reported aground and taking in water near the Pratas Islands, 170 nm (approx 310 km) south-east of Hong Kong. There were eight crewmembers onboard without sufficient lifejackets. Three of them were suffering sea sickness. At 0148, Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) requested Government Flying Service (GFS) to launch an aircraft for the rescue mission.

The Jetstream 41 (J-41) arrived at the target location first and established a good radio communication with the fishing vessel. The J-41 identified the target by instructing the fishing vessel to flash its lights. The fishing vessel was found aground and listing about 45 degrees to the starboard resting on the reef itself. A winching (Hi-Line) briefing was given to the crewmembers of the fishing vessel.

The Superpuma Helicopter arrived 45 minutes later. A winchman was deployed onto the fishing vessel at an operating height of 50 feet after the situation had been assessed by the helicopter. As the winching (Hi-Line) briefing had been given previously, all the crewmembers of the fishing vessel were winched into the helicopter expeditiously. Finally, all the crewmembers of the fishing vessel were safely brought back to GFS headquarters, arriving at 0712 in the morning.

As the datum was far away from Hong Kong, the helicopter crew needed to make precise planning for the whole mission, particularly on the fuel requirements. A refuelling stop at an oil-rig en-route was prepared in case of extra fuel requirement on the return leg. On scene, the fishing vessel was listing about 45 degrees. All these factors increased the difficulty during the operation. With excellent team effort from all flight crew and officers at Air Command and Control Centre at GFS HQs, the mission was successfully completed.

The Jetstream 41 arrived at the target location but found that the vessel had already sunk. There was only some debris and 2 life rafts visible in the area. The Jetstream 41 acted as a rescue commander and coordinated with vessels in the vicinity using radio communications to carry out the rescue. Using this method, our crew managed to assist in the rescue of 3 persons in the sea throughout 4 days of search and rescue. 3 other crewmembers were also recovered by vessels in the area.

A tasking-out request by Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) was received at 15:21 on 21st November 2011. A Cargo vessel "Bright Ruby" was reported in distress and it was suspected that it had sunk. As the location was a long distance from Hong Kong, only fixed wing aircraft were deployed for the search and rescue operation.

The search area was large and a long distance from Hong Kong, and our aircraft had to fly at a low height and slow speed to search for the survivors. The complexity of the mission was increased as the search location was outside the Hong Kong Flight Information Region (HKFIR), so our aircraft had to be granted clearance to operate inside the airspace of Manila and Sanya, Hainan.

Finally, the search was stood down by MRCC at 18:05 on 25th November 2011.

Following an incident that involved a ferry in the Cheung Chau Typhoon Shelter today (21st October 2011), the Government Flying Service deployed helicopters for five flights to deliver nine injured persons to hospitals from 6 am to 8.55 am today.

Three seriously injured persons were sent to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital. Six other injured persons were delivered to Wan Chai Helipad and taken to hospitals by ambulances.

21st Feb 2011

22nd Feb 2011

23rd February 2011

The crew of the Government Flying Service (GFS) Super Puma helicopter returned to Hong Kong today (June 6) after completing their rescue and relief work in earthquake-hit Sichuan.

Yesterday (June 5), the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, Sichuan Provincial Peoples' Government, Mr Cui Zhiwei, and Mr Lu Er Xu from the Helicopter Command Centre of Civil Aviation Administration, on behalf of the Disaster Relief Command of the Sichuan Provincial People's Government, presented a banner to the GFS crew members in appreciation of their efforts in providing assistance in the rescue and relief work in the disaster areas.

The Super Puma helicopter departed from Guanghan this morning. The flight crew of the Super Puma consisted of two pilots and two engineers. Other members of the team will return home by commercial flights today and tomorrow.

"We're very proud of the work our crews have done in Sichuan. It was the result of the collective efforts of many people, including the crews of the other relief forces who shared the temporary base with us in Guanghan,"Controller of GFS Captain Michael Chan said.

Over the three-week deployment, the GFS crews were involved in 26 operations in which 96 casualties were brought to safety and 119 people to the disaster area. Most of those 119 persons were members of ground search teams and specialists who monitored the condition of the quake lake in Tangjiashan.

6th June 2008

The Government Flying Service (GFS) Super Puma helicopter today (June 1) has successfully recovered two injured mine workers who had been trapped in the mountainous area in Mianzhu, Sichuan province.

After being trapped for 19 days, the two survivors, aged 51 and 45, were found by a People's Liberation Army (PLA) search team that was sent to the scene by the GFS helicopter yesterday. However, the rescue operation was prevented from continuing by the deteriorating weather conditions in the afternoon. This morning, the injured mine workers were airlifted to a place of safety by the GFS helicopter. The pair, reported to be weak, were transferred to a local hospital for medical treatment afterwards.

Two week after being sent to Sichuan to assist in rescue work in Sichuan, the GFS helped to rescue over 90 survivors. The GFS rescue team will continue its work in Sichuan.

1st June 2008

The recent earthquake in Sichuan Province brought tremendous loss of both human life and property in China. It is anticipated that much effort will be required in restoring lives back to normal.

On 17th May 2008, a five-man team of the GFS comprising pilots, aircrewman officers and an engineer arrived in Chengdu to join the air relief force in Guanghan Airport, some 50 km to the north of Chengdu. Since then, the team has worked with the Ministry of Communications rescue crews in various operations. These included recovering survivors in mountainous regions, transporting ground search teams to remote sites where casualties were reported missing and transferring supplies to casualties at the disaster scenes.

To address the needs for reinforcing the resources required for relief missions, a GFS Super Puma helicopter fully equipped for search and rescue operations was ferried to Guanghan airport through Guilin and Guiyang on 23rd May 2008. It was joined by one of the department's fixed-wing Jetstream 41 (J41), which landed in Guanghan the same day carrying over 900 kgs of rescue equipment and replenishing materials needed by the helicopter. After unloading, the J41 returned to Chek Lap Kwok airport just before midnight the same day.

Members of the GFS team in Sichuan have been reinforced and rotated back to Hong Kong over recent days, so that it can remain capable and effective in assisting the people affected by the disaster.

Two weeks on, the number of survivors being recovered rises day by day. As of the date of this article, the GFS rescue team has helped in bringing over 90 casualties to safety. GFS will continue its relief work in Sichuan.

In conclusion, it is worth quoting what was said by one of the crewmembers during an interview with the local press, "We have not thought of returning to HK at this moment. Our only concern now is how to save more people. It is our mission"

1st June 2008