Climber who died in South Africa said to be from Hong Kong

Authorities in Hong Kong say a climber who died after falling on South Africa’s Table Mountain is from the southern Chinese city.

The statement yesterday by Hong Kong’s immigration department contradicts an earlier assertion by South Africa’s national parks service that the male climber was Japanese. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy.

Hong Kong says it has “taken the initiative” to contact the victim’s family to provide advice and other help.

The climber and a surviving female companion were clients of a male South African guide who also died in the accident earlier this week. The injured survivor was taken to a hospital after a dramatic rescue operation in which emergency responders descended on ropes from a cable car on the mountain, a major tourist destination overlooking Cape Town. AP