Taxi driver dies in five-vehicle accident on Hong Kong highway

A Hong Kong taxi driver died after a serious five-vehicle pile-up on a Lantau Island motorway early on Sunday, a police spokesman said.

The incident started at 6am when a taxi was unable to brake in time behind a Mercedes-Benz travelling on North Lantau Highway towards Kowloon near Sunny Bay.

It rammed the rear of the Mercedes-Benz and slammed it into the stone wall of the passing lane.

A second taxi trailing the two vehicles was also unable to stop in time and rammed into them.

Following that, a truck and a green taxi in line tried unsuccessfully to swerve and crashed into the pile-up.

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The second taxi driver, 55, sustained serious head wounds. He was taken to hospital and later died, the spokesman said. There were no passengers in his car.

Four other drivers and passengers – two men and two women – sustained minor injuries.

The 64-year-old female driver in the Mercedes-Benz and the 42-year-old male driver in the first taxi which hit the car were later arrested for dangerous driving.

“Officers are investigating the cause of the accident, including whether the drivers had activated their hazard lights,” the spokesman said.

The accident led to a traffic jam in northern Lantau. All lanes on the highway reopened at 11.35am.