Four dead after Hong Kong school bus mounts pavement

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00:56

Four people were killed and eleven injured when a runway bus mounted a pavement and ran over several pedestrians in North Point, Hong Kong on Monday.

A video circulating on social media shows the bus began rolling down the street immediately after the driver exited the parked vehicle. The driver attempted to stop the bus from speeding down the slope but was knocked down and dragged as it took off.

The accident took place at around 2 p.m. local time, according to Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post. The bus mounted the pavement, hitting a few pedestrians. An 80-year-old woman died at the scene while an 83-year-old man succumbed to his injuries. Another two victims later died in hospital.

Firefighters who first arrived at the scene found out that the bus driver appeared to forget to apply the handbrake when parking and police were launching an investigation into what caused the accident.

Chief Inspector Sun Lun-yum of the Hong Kong Island traffic unit said: "We believe he might have forgotten to pull the handbrake or hadn't properly pulled it.”

The 62-year-old driver was trapped under the bus and was dragged along for 20 meters before falling onto the ground. He also suffered serious head, neck and back injuries.