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| A makeshift shrine to the dead at the spot where the bus finally came to a halt |
By The SUN
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has promised help to
the families of those who died or were injured in yesterday’s traffic accident
in North Point.
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| Cheung Hong street, from where the empty bus rolled down and started mowing down people |
Four pedestrians were killed when an empty school bus rolled
down Cheung Hong Street Hei Wo street
Eleven others were injured, including the bus driver who
used his body in a vain attempt to stop the vehicle; and two Filipinos, a
50-year-old man and 43-year-old woman whose identities are still being
ascertained by Philippine Consulate officials.
According to staff at the Consulate’s assistance to
nationals section, Hong Kong Police have said the two injured had Hong Kong ID
cards, meaning they are not tourists, but declined to give their names.
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| The restaurant sideswiped by the bus: Many Filipinas often wait for their wards at a school two doors down |
Welfare officer Virsie Tamayao said she wanted to find out
if they were migrant Filipino workers so their families back in the Philippines
The Consulate officers were also keen to check on the
patients, even if police have assured them that both are in stable condition.
The freak incident was the latest in a series of fatal
traffic accidents to have happened in Hong Kong
since the start of the year.
Citing Transport Department figures, Mrs. La said the number
of fatal traffic accidents in the first 11 months of this year has increased by
about 10% compared to the same period last year.
She promised the government will step up its effort to enhance
road safety.
“As a result of the very serious, fatal traffic accidents
this year, the relevant departments will, of course in light of the
investigations of every incident, recommend and take the necessary
measures," she said.
She said some safety measures are already being tightened
up, and as promised in her Policy Address, public funds could be used to
further enhance safety to protect the public.
As she spoke, cars were again parked on the slopes of Cheung Hong street
The warped door of a restaurant that was hit when the bus
mounted the pavement as it accelerated towards King’s Road also serves as a
mute testimony to the mayhem that occurred the day before.
On Pei Ho
street
But elsewhere in the area, it was back to business, and
traffic along King’s Road was again as busy as ever.
