Fatal crash: Hong Kong motorist sounded alert on stopped truck 15 minutes before Citybus double-decker slammed into it

Western Harbour Tunnel Company faces increasing pressure to explain why it was unaware of situation for 45 minutes

Unacceptable that staff found out only after report from a passing driver, union chief says

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The bus driver, 59, was declared dead at the scene. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 2:36pm, 6 Mar 2019Updated: 11:02pm, 6 Mar 2019

A member of the public has revealed that he sounded an alert on a broken-down truck in the middle of a Hong Kong highway about 15 minutes before a double-decker bus slammed into the vehicle, killing both drivers and injuring 16 others.

The Western Harbour Tunnel Company, which manages the motorway, is under increasing pressure to explain why it took nearly 45 minutes to become aware of the truck stopped in the second lane of the West Kowloon Highway on Monday morning. A “performance pledge” on the company’s website said it would take no more than three minutes for staff to arrive at the scene of an incident within the tunnel area.

The truck had broken down at about 9.30am on Monday. Photo: Edmond So

On Wednesday, Lau Kai-man, a community organiser for political party Roundtable, said on a radio programme that he had passed the stationary vehicle on his motorcycle at about 10am.

“Cars began swerving around, steering away from the second lane,” he said. “I was quite frightened when I saw that the obstacles the [truck] driver put on the road to alert other drivers were too close to his vehicle … the tailgate of the truck was down and he was working inside.”

Lau said he could barely see the truck’s hazard lights because they were partly blocked by the tailgate.

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