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The accident took place near Bride's Pool in Tai Mei Tuk, Tai Po. Photo: Handout

Driver, 37, dies, passenger critical after fiery crash in Hong Kong

Blue, high-powered Subaru lost control, hit speed camera and tree before bursting into flames early on Sunday

A male driver was burned to death and his passenger seriously injured after their car smashed into a speed camera, hit a tree and burst into flames in Hong Kong early on Sunday.

The driver, surnamed Ng, 37, was behind the wheel of his blue, high-performance Subaru when the accident took place at around 1am in Tai Po.

The male passenger, 49, managed to crawl out of car before it caught fire and was helped away by other drivers. He sustained serious chest injuries and was sent to hospital in a critical condition.

The car hit a speed camera and a tree before catching fire. Photo: Handout

The police are investigating the accident.

Ng, whose badly burned body was removed from the car by rescue services, was survived by a wife and two children. He was known to be a car lover and frequently shared pictures of his vehicle on Facebook. The car was a WRX S4 model. Ng just last week posted photos on his Facebook page of his family. He also had pictures of him posing with his car.

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It is understand that the two men were joining a driving club event along with other Subaru fans when the accident took place near the scenic Bride’s Pool in Tai Mei Tuk.

The car lost control and careered into the opposite lane, smashing a roadside speed camera and hitting a tree. It then dropped down a small slope with white smoke pouring from the engine.

A Subaru WRX. Photo: Handout

The passenger got out in time and lay in the middle of the road, where others helped him move away. They also tried to break the car windows and rescue Ng, but the vehicle was ablaze and turned into a fireball.

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Firefighters quickly arrived at the scene, but Ng could not be saved.

There was a 50-metre tyre mark on the road and broken glass scattered around. Police could not say whether any speeding was involved in the accident.

The four-door WRX, which stands for World Rally Experimental, is a high-performance version of the Japanese carmaker’s Impreza. It has a turbocharged engine and sporty suspension.

The police towed away the burned-out car and reopened all lanes to traffic at around 6.30am.

Bride’s Pool Road, which is known for its narrow and winding roads, saw numerous serious car accidents over the years. In 2015, a driver died and a passenger was seriously injured in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution after the sports sedan lost control and hurtled down a slope after hitting two trees.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Driver dies in fireball after crashing sports car
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