A Hong Kong customs officer died after his car plunged off the Shenzhen Bay Bridge while he was driving to work at a border checkpoint on Monday night.
Police said they believed the 46-year-old had hit a road sign at around 9.20 pm on Monday, and that his car had bounced over the bridge barriers before plunging into the sea.
The car was located at the bottom of the sea after police officers and fire services officers arrived at the scene. The man was rescued from his car by firemen and sent to Tin Shui Wai Hospital. He died at the hospital early on Tuesday morning.
Addressing reporters at the hospital on Tuesday, customs chief Louise Ho said that the deceased was a customs officer who had joined the Customs and Excise Department in 1999, local media outlets reported. He had been stationed at the Shenzhen Bay Port and was responsible for the customs clearance of cargo.
“The department is very sad to learn of the death of our colleague, and I send my deepest condolences to his family,” Ho said in Cantonese.
A police officer speaking at the scene of the accident on Monday night said that initial investigations showed there were no roadworks underway at the time of the accident. He added that some road signs had been placed on the bridge by contractors to comply with relevant laws.
The police said there were no surveillance cameras where the accident occurred and called for anyone with information to reach out to them.
Yu Wai Wah, assistant divisional officer of the Fire Services Department, told the press at the scene that firemen arrived within 10 minutes of receiving a report at 9.16 pm, and that it took more than two hours to locate the car.
Sixty officers from the fire department joined the rescue team at the Shenzhen Bay Bridge.
Yu said the water in the area of the incident was only around two metres deep, making it difficult for the fireboat to approach. Additionally, low visibility had increased the difficulty of the search and rescue operation.
The man was finally rescued from the sea more than three hours after the accident took place.
Shenzhen Bay Bridge was opened to traffic in 2007, serving a point of entry and exit between Hong Kong and mainland China.
