Two people are dead and at least 12 injured after a runaway school minibus mounted the sidewalk and ploughed into pedestrians before smashing into shops in North Point this afternoon.
The accident occurred just before 2pm at the intersection of King’s Road and Hei Wo Street, according to Apple Daily.
Speaking to reporters at a police briefing just after 5pm, chief inspector Sun Lun-yam, confirmed that an 83-year-old man and an 80-year-old woman were declared dead following the incident.
Sun said the accident happened after a 62-year-old school minibus driver parked the vehicle following the end of his shift. He had exited the bus and was preparing to hand it over to the next driver when it began rolling down the hill.
Sun said police were looking into whether the driver forgot to apply the handbrake or if a mechanical fault was to blame.
Dash cam video circulating online shows the moment the minibus begins to move forward down the slope after the driver gets out of the vehicle. He unsuccessfully tries to stop its momentum as the bus picks up speed.
It careens down Cheung Hong Street, knocking over pedestrians before crashing into the Empire Apartments building on Kings Road. The impact caused stationery and toy guns from shops lining the narrow road to spill onto the bloodstained street, wrote AFP.
Police said the 12 people injured — including seven seriously — were sent to two different hospitals.
The seven severely injured include the driver, who was admitted to Eastern Hospital’s intensive care unit with injuries to his head, neck, and back.
Photos uploaded to social media show chaotic scenes in the accident’s wake, with several victims lying injured on the ground, as emergency services race to help. One of the pedestrians — many of which appear to be elderly — appears to be caught under the rear wheel of the bus.
https://www.facebook.com/cpthcheng/posts/2322344871173051?__xts__[0]=68.ARAwT8mKv2ezuDRq9tJvpVvk7kilJtbqOyP_wWenPqdZ-uLkBdFLBMRaJ8Kq_xECBM0uJPBtGKQT0b1xv4DwNBspCdjCCMZM6MZgAUnFibtWAZ4MINf_SnCbf-kNU34tmt7AnYe9oGbwejLORX_imqfcMvPq7wcefmyMFMJ4zJJO1JVdFDPJiPQz7gRieAJfVF_vcZO7Vh7jDEnV4_flSOanmR-eaYJJl7FocGz6mW6QdMdA-EbwhHEPCq7YdaIxWXfVdkDIuOenfm6lKQS4cnK6DmngbrP9oUPBWNWZI4QFPIdTH72r681b3JMGFBuDqog5ImbN4uvPOp5HMuLZCb2ttg&__tn__=-R
Firefighters placed a tent to cover at least one body, and Sun confirmed that when emergency services arrived at the scene, three people — two male and one female — were caught underneath the wheels of the bus.
According to RTHK, sources also said the smash had left at least three females and two males unconscious.
A witness who spoke to the public broadcaster said he saw “four to five” people mowed down by the “empty bus.”
“I saw an empty school bus speed down the slope. It glanced off a taxi and lost control, crashing over there. Right here there were some vendors selling things, and several got hit.”
Following the accident, King’s Road has been closed to traffic. The tram service between Shun Tak Street and North Point Road has been suspended, while affected bus routes will be diverted.
Reader Interactions