A 17-year-old student who had gone missing for eight days was found alive on Wednesday.

Police said Matthew Tsang was found at around 2pm at Ma On Shan Country Park and that he was physically sound.

Speaking to reporters outside Eastern Hospital where her son was being treated, Tsang's mother thanked everyone, including police, firefighters and civilian search and rescue teams, who helped to find the teenager.

"Through this incident, we can deeply feel the love and warmth from Hongkongers," she said.

"Even though we've gone through eight days, a typhoon signal number nine, a black rainstorm warning, but we didn't give up. It's a miracle my son is still alive."

Rescue staff said the Diocesan Boys' School pupil was found about 100 metres away from the main trail at the country park.

Speaking to reporters, Chow Cheuk-fung, commander of Sha Tin Fire Station, said Tsang did not have his clothes on.

"When the Fire [Services] Department personnel first reached the teenager, he was able to confirm his identity with us," said Chow. "As for reasons that why he did not put on his clothes or whether he is dehydrated, we have to further enquire the subject teenager."

Senior station officer Cheung Tin-yu said the Mountain Search and Rescue Team had used drones to capture more than 10,000 images of the area. These images were then analysed using artificial intelligence to narrow down the search areas, including identifying the location of water sources.

Cheung said limited information available and the extreme weather conditions posed additional challenges to the search mission.

The form six student went missing after leaving campus last Wednesday. Large-scale search and rescue efforts went on for days around the vicinity of the country park.
_____________________________
Last updated: 2023-10-11 HKT 19:23