Bus driver trapped, passengers stranded in Hong Kong tunnel after double-decker collides with boom truck
- Two of three southbound lanes at Tai Lam Tunnel closed for several hours, causing heavy congestion
- Firefighters deployed to scene as about 20 passengers forced to wait on side of tunnel
A bus driver was trapped and about 20 passengers were left stranded in a tunnel in Hong Kong’s Tsuen Wan district after a double-decker collided with a boom truck on Tuesday morning.
Two of the three southbound lanes of the Tai Lam Tunnel, a major thoroughfare connecting Ting Kau and Yuen Long in the New Territories, were closed, backing up traffic.
Police said they received a report of a crash at 10.49am. The boom truck had suddenly slowed down inside the tunnel, and the bus hit the crane, shattering the front windscreen, according to the force.
The bus driver was trapped inside the vehicle but conscious and freed about an hour later, a spokesman said.
A male passenger was also sent to Pok Oi Hospital because of neck pain.
Firefighters were deployed to the scene, while about a dozen bus passengers were left standing on the side of the tunnel awaiting rescue.