Journey of love ends in double tragedy

When Chan Siu-fan heard that his brother, Chan Tit-keung, was dead, he steeled himself to break the news to his sister-in-law of just eight months.

Only later, after police had identified Thitiphansorasak Somporn, did it become clear the family had been hit by a double tragedy.

'They were having such a happy life, but their marriage was too short,' he said.

Mr Chan said his elderly parents were devastated.

'It's such a tragedy. We only had dinner with them on Wednesday. It turned out to be our last gathering with them,' he said.

Ms Somporn had left her Hunghom home early yesterday to meet her night-watchman husband when he finished his shift at 7 am.

After joining him at his workplace in Chai Wan, they took the cross-harbour Citybus to return to Kowloon. They never made it.

Many drivers who pulled over behind the overturned Citybus simply stood and stared, ignoring pleas for help from victims trapped in the wreckage, one passenger said.

Mr Lee, a 41-year-old metal worker, said he had been travelling with his wife, 32, on the top deck of the bus.

'People were pressing against each other or trapped between benches, yelling for help,' he said.

'Some people were unconscious or their faces had turned dark as they suffocated. It was total chaos.' He said he climbed through the gaping hole in the roof of the bus and tried to summon help from cars, lorries and vans which had stopped on the flyover.

'I called on them to come out from their vehicles. They did come out, but stood there without lending a hand.'