2 dead after runaway school bus mounts pavement in Hong Kong

HONG KONG - Two people were killed and more than 10 others injured after a runaway school bus mounted a pavement in Hong Kong on Monday (Dec 10), South China Morning Post reported.

The accident happened at the junction of King's Road and Hei Wo Street in North Point before 2pm.

"An initial investigation shows a school bus mounted a pavement and people were trapped under the vehicle," a police spokesman was quoted as saying by SCMP.

No one was believed to be on board the bus at the time.

A video clip of the incident shows the bus being parked outside North Point Methodist Primary School on Cheung Hong Street.

The bus began moving after the driver stepped out. He then tried to stop the vehicle as it careened down the road.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYxBztjOym8[/embed]

A man said he witnessed the accident and was lucky to have escaped unharmed, reported The Standard.

"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," he told public broadcaster RTHK, adding that he was only five or six car lengths away from getting struck himself.

"I was almost... unlucky... I was quite scared, as you'd expect. I didn't dare look back because I knew something bad had happened. I just took a quick glimpse, and saw some people lying on the road. I didn't look closely. There were at least four or five people - one of them was under the bus."

Mr Michael Chan, who works at Supreme Jeweler on the corner of King's Road and Hei Wo Street, told SCMP he heard a loud bang.

"There were people crying for help. I went outside and there was already a big crowd gathered," Mr Chan said. "I immediately called 999."

The injured were taken to hospital for treatment.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.