One more death over Tai Po taxi crash

The death toll of a Tai Po taxi crash has now risen to two after one of the injured - a 63-year-old woman who was getting treated at Tuen Mun Hospital - passed away on Monday morning.

The woman, surnamed Sung, succumbed to her injuries at 7.05am this morning. A 59-year-old man, surnamed Cheng, also died in the accident, while eight others were injured.

A taxi rammed into people crossing a road in Tai Po at around 11.21am yesterday, with pedestrians racing to the rescue after the accident.

The taxi driver lost control of his vehicle ahead of the traffic lights on Kwong Fuk Road, police said. They added that he had been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving causing death.

Eyewitnesses said pedestrians, including a 37-year-old mother-to-be, Ng, and Cheng, were crossing the road at a green light when the taxi rammed into the island and trapped people under the vehicle.

More than 20 passersby managed to lift the taxi and push it aside. Cheng was declared dead at the scene.

Another witness said the taxi driver jumped the red light after overtaking two vehicles and drove straight into the group of pedestrians crossing the road.

Surveillance camera footage from a nearby bakery shop showed the taxi making a sudden turn into the opposite lane after a private vehicle and a New Territories taxi stopped.

It stopped after smashing into two traffic lights.

The woman, who is five months' pregnant, is in the intensive care unit of Prince of Wales Hospital in a serious condition with a fractured pelvis and head injuries, but the baby's condition has been "secured."

A man is in a stable condition, while two women and a man were allowed to leave after treatment.