A Hong Kong bus driver has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after his double-decker overturned, killing one passenger and injuring 11.
The 58-year-old Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) driver lost control of his vehicle on Thursday night while travelling from Tai Wai to Hin Keng. The Route 88K bus hit a road divider and crashed onto its side at the junction of Tai Po Road and Tsing Sha Highway.
A 37-year-old man was certified dead at the scene, while two men and nine women – aged between 19 and 70 – were slightly injured. They were taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital for treatment.
The KMB driver – who was among those injured – was arrested for causing death by dangerous driving and dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm and is currently detained. Police said he passed a breath test.
Superintendent Lam Chuen of New Territories South Traffic said police suspected that the driver had “taken a wrong route” and hit the divider. He said they would look into the driver’s mental state, the speed of the vehicle and traffic conditions in general to find out the cause of the accident.
“This location is not an accident black spot,” Lam said, adding officers would view footage from the bus video recording system and data from its “black box.”
Company operations director Kwan Chi-wai said KMB would fully cooperate in the police investigation and offered deep condolences for the death and injuries. “We are very saddened,” he said.
Kwan said the driver has worked for KMB for 18 years and had driven the route between the Royal Ascot estate and Hin Keng since 2015. He had a rest day before the accident, and his shift on Thursday started at 4 p.m. and was supposed to end at 1 a.m.
The bus had been in service for six years and passed an examination on November 3. “I want to stress that his work was pre-arranged, it was not a temporary schedule,” Kwan said.
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