Tree crashes onto school bus and cars in Hong Kong, driver and passenger narrowly escape serious injury
- Online video shows massive tree crashing onto bus, smashing its windscreen and crushing the front of the vehicle; no pupils were on board
- Root rot may be cause of collapse; condition can take up to a decade to develop
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Large tree crashes onto school bus in Hong Kong, injuring three people
A Hong Kong school bus driver and his passenger cheated death by inches on Friday after a massive tree crashed onto his vehicle and hit three other cars.
“I was waiting for the green light, suddenly there was a shadow, and then the tree collapsed in front of me with a big bang,” the bus driver told reporters. “The situation was very chaotic, but fortunately I got only scratches, no major injuries.”
The bus driver, 62, and the passenger were travelling along Perth Street in Ho Man Tin, on the way to pick up pupils when the 15 metre flame tree toppled at 7.40am.
The passenger, a nanny, said: “The door was locked. I also scratched my feet and was stung by glass. The school bus was most severely damaged. We were ready to pick up kindergarten pupils in Whampoa.”
As the duo were waiting in their vehicle at a red light outside Hop Yat Church School near the junction with Princess Margaret Road, the tree on the pavement fell and hit the bus, a Mercedes-Benz and two other cars.
A video posted online shows the tree, about a metre in diameter, suddenly falling over, striking the front of the schools bus and crushing its windscreen. The roof of the Mercedes-Benz, which was beside the bus, was also hit.
In the footage, some pupils are seen walking past the tree just before it collapses. Police said no pedestrians were hurt.