Bus crash transporting Sha Tin racegoers leaves at least 19 dead

There was an awful postscript to Saturday's meeting at Sha Tin, as a bus transporting racegoers back to the city centre crashed, with 19 confirmed fatalities.

The double-decker bus was heading to Tai Po Centre, when it flipped on its side on Tai Po Road.

As yet the cause of the crash has not been established. A total of 19 people, 17 men and two women, have been confirmed as dead. A further 40 people are being treated for injuries.

One passenger, who suffered a leg injury, reported the bus to be going faster than usual.

"It was much faster than I normally felt in a bus," he told the South China Morning Post. "And then it was like the tyre slipped and the bus turned. It was really chaotic in the bus. People fell on one another and got tossed from side to side."

Another passenger reported that the driver had arrived late to the track and was in a bad mood. The passenger also alleged he was driving quick round the bends on the Tai Po Road.

A statement from the Hong Kong Jockey Club read: "The Hong Kong Jockey Club is most saddened to learn that a public bus transporting passengers following today's race meeting was involved in an accident with numerous casualties reported.

"The Club would like to express its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and sympathies to those injured. The Club is closely monitoring the situation and considering how it can help."

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