Hong Kong Woman Travels Overland to Egypt, Goes Missing for Over a Week After Posting from Iran

Recently, a 24-year-old Hong Kong woman who frequently shares her solo travel experiences on social media posted about her journey overland from Hong Kong to Egypt. Along the way, she arrived in Iran, which is currently experiencing anti-government protests, and said she planned to visit the local passport office to extend her visa by one month. However, after this post was made, her social media accounts have not been updated for 10 days as of the 16th, causing many netizens to worry about her safety. It was even reported that a family member suspects she is missing and has sought assistance from the Hong Kong Immigration Department.

The Hong Kong Immigration Department responded to an enquiry from Oriental Daily, stating that after receiving the request for help, they immediately contacted the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Chinese Consulate General in Abbas to learn more about the situation, and have provided appropriate advice and feasible assistance in accordance with the wishes of the family. The department said it will continue to maintain close contact with the Office, the Consulate General, and the family to actively follow up on the incident and provide feasible assistance according to the wishes of the family.

The post in question was made on the 6th, stating that it was the "130th day of not flying from Hong Kong to Egypt" and was marked as the "Iran Chapter", indicating that the poster was already in Iran that day. She stated, "Iran is the most misunderstood country I have visited," but noted that Hong Kong passports are only visa-free in Iran for 21 days, so she decided to go to the local "Passport Office" the next day to extend her visa for one more month. At the end of the post, she wrote, "I've written so many, many stories." The post also included a video, sharing many photos of her travels in Iran and pictures with local people, indicating she had already spent some time there.

However, since her social media account has not been updated for several days after the post, netizens have become concerned. On the 15th, someone claiming to be a family member of the missing woman left a comment on the post, saying "She is currently in Iran and has been out of contact for many days," and claimed to have sought help from the Hong Kong Immigration Department. The commenter also appealed to other netizens for ways to help her, and hoped that anyone at "BB HOSTEL" (a youth hostel in Shiraz, Iran) could provide information or assistance.