A bus rammed into a road barrier in Cheung Sha Wan on Monday morning, with passengers on the upper deck momentarily trapped before firefighters arrived on the scene.
The double decker, travelling along route 290A, was operated by the Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) company. It was tilted at an angle – with the front half of the bus atop the barrier – when rescue personnel arrived at around 9:50 a.m..
A total of 46 people were rescued from the bus by the Fire Services Department. Among them, 41 were slightly injured and sent to Caritas Medical Centre, Princess Margaret Hospital, Yan Chai Hospital and Kwong Wah Hospital, the department said.
The accident happened near Ching Lai Court in Cheung Sha Wan, local media reported. Parts of Ching Cheung Road in the direction of Tsuen Wan were closed off after the crash, as the Transport Department appealed to drivers to choose alternative routes.
Live video from the scene showed firefighters entering the bus to evacuate passengers. Some were brought out on a stretcher, while others were able to walk out on their own.
The driver, who momentarily lost consciousness, was also slightly injured according to local media.
A passenger surnamed Lee told reporters on the scene that she was sitting on the upper deck. The bus was not speeding and there was no swaying before it rammed into the barrier, she said.
She added that a few passengers hit their forehead, their nose or their mouth, causing some bleeding.
Another passenger, who had a gauze taped below her nose, said she was sleeping when the accident happened.
