Hong Kong police find body of missing pilot

Steve Morrisey. Photo / Supplied

The body of Air New Zealand pilot Stephen Morrissey who went missing a week ago while tramping in a Hong Kong country park was found yesterday.

"At 2.30 this afternoon, police located a body of a man on a hillside. Officials contacted the family of the missing man Stephen Morrissey and have confirmed the body is him," a police spokeswoman told Agence France-Presse in Hong Kong.

"Police officers found his backpack, watch and his camera at the scene."

The spokeswoman said authorities had not yet confirmed whether foul play was involved.

"We're looking into the matter," she said.

Mr Morrissey, 51, was reported missing after he went tramping with his colleague, Captain Mark Apperley, on the Wilson Trail in the New Territories area of Hong Kong last Wednesday.

The two separated towards the end of the walk as Mr Morrissey continued on while Mr Apperley took a rest. They agreed to meet at the end of the track to catch a bus back to their hotel together.

Mr Apperley did not see Mr Morrissey again and returned to the hotel to get help, with police beginning a search using tracker dogs later that night.

Mr Morrissey did not report for duty the next day, when he was scheduled to operate a flight from Hong Kong to London.

Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe said last night that Mr Morrissey was located beyond the track in the Tai Mei Tuk area, on which he had been walking last Wednesday.

For the past seven days, several hundred police, fire service and volunteer search and rescue personnel, as well as Air New Zealand personnel, members of the public, friends and family had searched a large area of Pat Sin Leng Country Park for Mr Morrissey.

"We all remained hopeful throughout that Steve would be found alive," Mr Fyfe said.

"Sadly that hope has not been realised, but it is with some sense of relief that Steve has at least been found and we can bring him home."

Mr Morrissey's family issued a statement saying they "extremely grateful to the police, fire service and search and rescue teams here in Hong Kong for all their hard work over the past week.

"We are overwhelmed with the amazing support we have received from our friends and family in New Zealand."

They have asked for privacy and would not be making any further public comment at this time.

Mr Fyfe said the airline would liaise with Mr Morrissey's family and Hong Kong Police over the next few days on bringing him home.

- NZPA