19 killed in Hong Kong bus crash

Nineteen passengers were killed and 61 injured when a double-decker bus crashed near Tai Po Mei Tsuen in New Territories, Hong Kong on Saturday evening. The accident is being seen as one of Hong Kong's deadliest since at least 2003. Eighteen among those injured are said to be in critical condition.

At around 6 pm, a bus, carrying passengers in full capacity from the racecourse in Sha Tin towards Tai Po crashed near Tai Po Mei Tsuen. Saturday was a horse-racing day.  

The 61 injured were sent to 12 hospitals for medical care.

The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor visited the injured at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin on Saturday night. She was accompanied by Hong Kong Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung and Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee.  Lam offered her condolences to the families of the accident victims.

An independent commission, led by an appointed judge, will be set up to investigate the incident and help ensure safety in public transport, Lam told reporters at the hospital. Social workers will follow up on the needs of all affected families.

The bus company, Kowloon Motor Bus, will have their own investigation team look into the matter, and submit a report to the Transport Department in a month's time.

The police arrested the bus driver, who is around 30, for dangerous driving causing death, a criminal offence that could land him in jail for up to 10 years.