By Danny Mok

Copyright scmp

A “faint whistle” from a mainland Chinese hiker missing for four days on Lamma Island in Hong Kong led to his dramatic rescue by a drone photographer sailing on a catamaran.
The hiker, Zheng To, 52, who arrived in the city from mainland China on Saturday for a short business trip, was found on a cliff near Tai Wan To, off Hung Shing Yeh Bay, with minor injuries Wednesday.
Zheng had told colleagues that he was lost and that his phone battery was running low, hours after setting off for a hike on Lamma Island on Saturday.
A source said Zheng told police he had been walking continuously through the hills over the past few days in the hope of finding a way out, but had been unsuccessful.
He had only brought a small amount of food and water when he set out, the source added.
Zheng suffered abrasions on both legs and was conscious when he was taken to the Lamma Island clinic for initial treatment, before being transferred to Queen Mary Hospital for further examination.
He was spotted and rescued by sailor Anton Aleshin aboard his catamaran, according to the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.
Aleshin, a professional drone photographer, was quoted on Wednesday as saying he had set out in his 4.9-metre (16 feet) vessel toward Lamma Island.
By around 10am on Wednesday, he had rounded the southwestern tip of the island near Mount Stenhouse.
“Suddenly, a faint whistle rang out over the roar of the surf,” he recalled, before seeing Zheng on a cliff “waving his arms furiously”.
Aleshin said he remembered reading news of a missing mainland Chinese tourist on the island.
Battling “turbulent waters”, he steered his catamaran closer and managed to reach Zheng, who appeared exhausted.
“I carefully lifted the exhausted man from the cliff’s grip, providing him first with the most essential water and food,” he said.
He then called a friend to contact emergency services.
On Saturday, Zheng had told colleagues about his plan to go hiking on Lamma Island after checking into a Kwun Tong hotel.
Hours later, he sent a message to a colleague via WeChat saying he thought he was lost and that his phone battery was running low.

In a follow-up message, Zheng reassured his colleagues that he was safe and turned down their offer to call for help.
When Zheng failed to return to his hotel and could no longer be contacted, his colleagues lodged a missing-person report with police on Monday.
Emergency services launched a major search across the outlying island, scouring locations including Lamma Power Station, Hung Shing Yeh Beach, Mo Tat Wan, Ling Kok Shan and the area around Mount Stenhouse, the island’s highest peak.