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When 6 people died after a Hong Kong bus crashed into a restaurant and store, and exploded into flames

A KMB bus travelling down a slope of Tai Mo Shan crashed into a restaurant and store, and burst into flames, killing six people and injuring 22 others, in 1977

The Post reported the driver shouted ‘no brakes, hold fast’ before the crash. A man and his daughter, two sisters and a young cyclist were among the dead

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The KMB bus that crashed into a restaurant and store, and burst into flames, after descending a slope of Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong, on February 25, 1977. Six people died. Photo: SCMP

Published: 11:15am, 1 Mar 2022

“Six people were killed and 22 others injured yesterday when a bus descending a slope of Tai Mo Shan crashed into a restaurant and store and burst into flames,” reported the South China Morning Post on February 26, 1977. “Five of the six died after being struck by the single-decker KMB bus. They were a man and his daughter, two sisters and a boy believed to be a cyclist.

“The body of the sixth victim, a man, was dug out from the fire-ravaged store premises. All six were badly burnt.

“The tragedy happened about 2:30pm. The Route 51 bus, carrying about 21 passengers from Tai Kok Tsui ferry to Yuen Long, was coming down Route TWSK [Route Twisk] and turning into Lam Kam Road, Sek Kong. According to a passenger, the driver suddenly shouted ‘no brakes, hold fast’. But at this moment, the passenger said, a boy on a bicycle loomed from the opposite direction.

“The driver swerved sharply, apparently trying to avoid a collision. As other witnesses recounted it, the bus then careered across the road, smashed through four parked cars and went over an embankment, finally slamming into the restaurant and store.”

KMB officials examine the burnt-out bus. Photo: SCMP

The next day, the Post reported that “when the bus came to a halt in the store section, after knocking down part of a wall, the driver – a Mr Law – and his passengers scrambled out. Mr Law was bleeding from the head and his passengers had various injuries. Seconds after they climbed out, there was an explosion. Flames engulfed the bus and spread quickly to the store.”