Honk Kong, July 10: A double-decker bus collided with a truck and plunged off a bridge early Thursday, killing at least 21 people and injuring 21 others, according to news reports and a government spokeswoman. Injured people were rushed to four local hospitals after the accident at a bridge in the suburban New Territories, the government said in a statement. The fatalities were aged 10 to 55, according government spokeswoman Josephine Yu. Yu did not have details of the crash, but local broadcasters reported that the truck and bus collided and the bus then plunged off the bridge.
TV footage showed the bus lying on its side on a slope, and radio reported that helicopters were flown to the area to help with rescue efforts.
There was no immediate word about the fate of the truck driver. Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa went quickly to the scene and said the government would do all it could to help the survivors, find out what happened and make sure it doesn't happen again.
"This has been a very devastating and painful accident for all of us," Tung told reporters.
"The priority right now is to get on with the rescue work," Tung said. Bureau Report