Driver escapes after car plunges into the harbour
A man survived after accidentally driving his car into the harbour off Sheung Wan yesterday.
The car, a white Mitsubishi belonging to a firm with a construction site nearby, fell into the sea off Western Fire Services Street at about 9am, police said.
A project manager from the firm, Costain, who gave his surname as Hui, said the driver was the only person in the vehicle and might have mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake while reversing.
He said the man had driven the vehicle for two years as the company's contracted driver.
A nearby businessman surnamed Pang said the driver luckily had not closed his window, and managed to escape and float to the surface about 20 seconds after the vehicle sank.
Mr Pang said he asked another man to call police while he ran to a nearby fire station for help.
Four firemen arrived at about 9.20am and found the driver floating in the water.
They jumped into the sea and dragged him out.
The driver was conscious but could only answer questions by moving his head. He was sent to Queen Mary Hospital and was in stable condition last night.
A team of Fire Services Department divers later took about two hours to find the car, which was at the bottom of the harbour about 10 metres offshore.
'The car was turned upside down and floated east for a while, and the currents are strong today, so it took a long time for the divers to locate the car,' said Chow Sui-wai, a senior station officer. Officers from the police traffic unit are investigating the incident.
Accidents involving vehicles falling into the sea are not rare. As recently as the latter half of last month, a man died when his van crashed through a railing and plunged into the sea at Kennedy Town.
