Driver arrested after six die and 39 are injured in Hong Kong highway bus crash
- Three men and two women die on the spot near Tsung Pak Long in Sheung Shui, while a third woman succumbs to her injuries in hospital
- Two passengers tossed out of the KMB vehicle when it crashed into a roadside barrier before hitting a tree
Six passengers were killed and 39 injured on Wednesday after a public double-decker bus ploughed into a roadside tree, the impact ripping away most of its roof on Hong Kong’s Fanling Highway.
Three men and two women died on the spot near Tsung Pak Long in Sheung Shui, while a third woman succumbed to her injuries in hospital.
All of them had been sitting on the upper deck, and two passengers were tossed out of the KMB vehicle when it crashed into a roadside barrier before hitting the tree at around 4.15pm.
The 56-year-old driver was arrested for dangerous driving causing death. KMB said he had been with the company for 18 years and had just returned for duty after taking a rest on Tuesday.
Hong Kong’s leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, said she was shocked and saddened by the crash, as she offered her condolences to the victims and promised government support.
A passenger who suffered minor injuries said the bus, on route 978 between Wan Chai North and Fanling, appeared to be travelling at normal speed when it ran into trouble. It was on its way to Sheung Shui when it crashed near a roundabout on Po Shek Wu Road.