Smoke and screaming fills carriages as firebomb on Hong Kong MTR causes commuter chaos
Passengers describe the scene as like a a Korean zombie thriller movie
Witnesses to a fire that broke out on a Tsim Sha Tsui-bound MTR train on Friday night described the chaos as like a scene out of a Korean thriller movie.
At least 17 people were injured when a man lit a firebomb inside the Tsuen Wan Line train at 7.14pm, according to police. Flames and smoke quickly filled the carriages, prompting a mad rush off the train and for the exits.
Ray Chau, a 27-year-old interior designer, said smoke quickly spread through the train, with one person literally left on fire.
“When the train reached Tsim Sha Tsui, people immediately dashed out from the carriages. It was chaotic, like a scene out of Train to Busan,” Chau said, referring to a part in the 2016 zombie horror-thriller film when train passengers fight off the fictional creatures.
“I saw a spark two compartments away, there was a lot of smoke ... smoke in one compartment quickly filled the entire train,” Chau said. “The train journey felt particularly long ... there was nothing we could do but inhale the smoke.”