A 41-year-old inebriated Hong Kong man who believed his rescuers were trying to kill him hid in the underground water channels of Kai Tak Nullah in Kowloon for six hours early on Sunday morning.
Late on on Saturday evening, a construction worker surnamed Chung went home after drinking whiskey and beer with friends, Apple Daily reported. At midnight, Chung, who was only wearing underwear, was seen going down to the open channel of the Kai Tak Nullah near Anne Black Maternal and Child Health Centre in Choi Hung Road in San Po Kong.
Two passers-by called the police. When firemen arrived, the man refused to be rescued and went into the underground area of the nullah. He told the firemen not to come closer becuase he believed that they were coming to kill him, Sing Tao Daily reported.
As the water was about 1.5 meters deep, the firemen asked the Sha Tin Water Treatment Plant to slow down its output. They also removed all the nearby drain covers, hoping the drunk man would climb out.
After six hours, the man was subdued when he stuck his head out of a drain 60 meters away from where he had entered the underground area. He had been wearing plastic bags to keep warm.