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21 killed in HK bus plunge
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- A double-decker bus collided with a truck and plunged off a bridge in Hong Kong, killing 21 people and injuring 20 others. Police say the truck driver has been arrested in an incident, described as the worst bus crash in Hong Kong in more than a decade. The bus was travelling along an expressway bridge about 22 kilometers from central Hong Kong early Thursday morning when it collided with a truck and slammed through the guardrails. The impact of the crash in Tuen Mun -- which occurred at 6:30 a.m. local time (2230 GMT Wednesday) as commuters were heading to work -- sent the bus into a 50-meter (164-ft) free-fall. "I didn't think the bus would fall off the bridge," said one eyewitness. "I thought it would just lean on the railing. But it actually fell off." Some people were thrown out of the bus and others were trapped inside as it fell. The bus had a capacity of about 200 passengers. At the bottom of the ravine lay mangled steel and twisted bodies. Rescuers formed a human chain and used ropes to pull victims up the hillside. While the government reported that 22 people had died, it revised its toll to 21, saying 19 people were found dead at the scene while two others died in hospital. Those who could not be treated on the spot were rushed to four separate hospitals. Among the 20 in hospital, three are in critical condition and 14 are seriously injured, the government said in a statement. It was not known if the bus driver survived, but local television stations reported that he was among the dead. The Kowloon Motor Bus company said it could not remember the last time one of its buses was involved in a fatal collision.
The company said the bus was relatively new, recently serviced and driven by a man who had a clean safety record. Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa said the government would do all it could to help the victims and their families. "This has been a very devastating and painful accident for all of us," Tung told reporters. "The priority right now is to get on with the rescue work." Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao said the government would conduct an investigation into the accident. "It is a shocking incident and it's really regrettable and I feel very sad about the whole thing," Liao said. -- CNN's Jill Neubronner contributed to this report
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