A six-year-old girl was killed after being dragged for 50 meters under a minibus after she left the vehicle in Kowloon City. The 48-year-old minibus driver was arrested in connection with the death. The arrest was made after a passenger said he saw the girl's clothing had been caught in the vehicle's door, heightening suspicion that the door was closed too hastily.
The male driver, who tested negative for alcohol, was later released on bail of HK$5,000 and ordered to report back to the police in a month.
The accident happened at about noon Monday as the minibus, traveling along Prince Edward Road West, stopped near Embankment Road for passengers to alight.
Tam Yi-kwan, who was being escorted to school by her mother, reportedly had her clothing caught in the door as she left the vehicle.
She fell, and was dragged along the road for about 50 meters before being run over, sustaining serious head injuries.
She was taken to Kwong Wah Hospital where she was certified dead.
The girl's mother said she saw her daughter - a Primary One pupil at Heep Woh Primary School in Kowloon City - running a few steps alongside the moving minibus before falling and the vehicle running her over.
The minibus has been sent to the Ho Man Tin police vehicle checking center.
Police have appealed for witnesses and anyone with information to contact them on 2773 5220.
Au Yeung Ming, an official at the Motor Transport Workers General Union, has called for urgent measures to be imp
lemented to prevent a repeat. Citing previous cases of elderly people being knocked down after alighting from vehicles, Au Yeung urged minibus drivers to be patient and ensure that passengers have completely alighted before moving on.
Hong Kong Public Light Bus Owner and Driver Association secretary Lai Ming-hung suggested that an alarm sensor be installed on the doors of vehicles to alert the driver if an object is caught as the door is being closed.
Minibus associations also urged passengers to be more safety conscious when alighting from vehicles.
Leung Hung, chairman of the Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territories Public and Maxicab Light Bus Merchants' United Association, urged parents not to allow their children to alight from vehicles alone, but to either hold the child's hand or carry them.
