Horrific traffic accident claimed 21 lives

Urban Ranger · July 11, 2003, 05:16

Quote:

21 people have been killed and another 20 injured in Hong Kong's worst traffic accident in years.

Four of the injured are in critical conditions.

A double-decker packed with commuters and school-children, collided with a truck and plunged off an expressway bridge.

The bus company has ruled out any problems with the vehicle, saying it was relatively new and had undergone maintenance just a few days ago.

link

This is truly terrible, something must be done about reckless drivers.

DRoseDARs · July 11, 2003, 05:32

UR, the page refuses to load for me. Could you copy-paste the full article here for us?

Methinks the bus company is jumping to conclusions...

...how'bouts we wait until the police have finished the investigation, or better still, wait until the bodies have actually been moved from the scene. Doesn't help your image to dismiss culpability(sp?) mere minutes after the accident.

The Mad Monk · July 11, 2003, 05:37

Tragic.

Urban Ranger · July 11, 2003, 05:49

David,

Quote:

Hong Kong's worst traffic accident kills 21, injures 20

By Hong Kong Correspondent Amy Or

21 people have been killed and another 20 injured in Hong Kong's worst traffic accident in years.

Four of the injured are in critical conditions.

A double-decker packed with commuters and school-children, collided with a truck and plunged off an expressway bridge.

The bus company has ruled out any problems with the vehicle, saying it was relatively new and had undergone maintenance just a few days ago.

Police have arrested the truck driver.

Many of the injured were unconscious and had to be pulled out from the wreckage.

Most of them suffered serious head and chest injuries because of the strong impact of the crash.

Those lucky enough to survive with only minor injuries managed to climb out of the bus.

Rescuers said many others died instantly, including the driver of the bus.

"I saw an injured passenger', his body was twisted and he didn't make it. There were a woman and a girl, I guess they're mother and daughter, they're very nervous and called the police for help," said one witness at the scene of the accident.

"I dare not look, I was already so scared," said another.

Authorities have set up a temporary mortuary at the scene while ambulances transported the injured passengers to four different hospitals in the area.

As the number of passengers on the bus at the time of the crash was unknown, workers have to upright the bus to see if anyone is trapped underneath the wreckage.

The badly-damaged bus was later lifted back onto the Tuen Mun Highway, pending further investigation of the cause of the accident.

The bus had collided with a truck and crashed through a bridge safety barricade on the busy Tuen Mun Road, shortly after dawn.

It then tumbled 50 metres down a cliff and landed on a rural hill side.

A part of the broken railing hit one of the houses, but no villager is injured.

The Chief Executive went quickly to inspect the scene of the accident and later visited the Princess Margaret Hospital.

Authorities have activated an emergency reaction team to coordinate the four hospitals involved.

And as part of its investigations, the government will also look into whether the design of the highway had a role to play in the accident, so that this never happens again.

Urban Ranger · July 11, 2003, 05:51

Some other local newspaper has it that the flatbed truck was moving into the slow lane, when he had to swerve to avoid a van that suddenly cut in front of him and crashed into the bus.

If that's true, the van driver must pay

laurentius · July 11, 2003, 05:55

yeah, go lynch him!

The Mad Monk · July 11, 2003, 06:19

Has the van been identified?

laurentius · July 11, 2003, 06:20

*loads his shotgun*

Urban Ranger · July 11, 2003, 06:38

Quote:

Originally posted by The Mad Monk
Has the van been identified?

I think so, but the news report was unclear. Will check the evening news to see if there is more details.

The Mad Monk · July 11, 2003, 07:25

I'd be surprised if they did, unless the van stopped, since people's attention would have been elsewhere.

Urban Ranger · July 11, 2003, 14:16

*bump*

st_swithin · July 11, 2003, 14:57

He must live in LA, because he sounds like all the bus drivers around here.

Az · July 11, 2003, 15:31

Holy ****.

how did it fall of the bridge?

The Mad Monk · July 11, 2003, 18:56

I suppose the guardrail coldn't handle the mass of the bus.

Az · July 11, 2003, 18:57

That's weird.

St Leo · July 11, 2003, 23:04

Something ought to be done about population growth. The more people there are in the world, the more horrific accidents there will be.:P

Ted Striker · July 11, 2003, 23:11

that sucks

cars are such a dangerous way of getting people around

TCO · July 11, 2003, 23:19

Quote:

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
Some other local newspaper has it that the flatbed truck was moving into the slow lane, when he had to swerve to avoid a van that suddenly cut in front of him and crashed into the bus.

If that's true, the van driver must pay

Maybe he swerved cause he didn't want to wait?

Urban Ranger · July 12, 2003, 00:33

Quote:

Originally posted by Azazel
That's weird.

The guard rail wasn't designed to hold back the momentum of both the bus and the flatbed truck. The bus was struck in the side when it was moving in the slow lane.

mrmitchell · July 12, 2003, 01:06

At least a pack of badgers didn't come out and eat their brains.