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Clifford Lo

Hong Kong police have arrested a tram driver in connection with a traffic accident that left a three-year-old girl dead and three other pedestrians injured, including her sister and grandfather.
Police said on Thursday that they had arrested the man, 48, for dangerous driving causing death and detained him for inquiries over the accident in Western district.
The eastbound tram knocked down the girl, her six-year-old sister, their grandfather, 66, and the family’s domestic helper, 34, outside Kennedy Town Swimming Pool at around 10.44am.
A source said all four were believed to have tried to cross Kennedy Town’s Praya at the junction with Queen’s Road West while the red man traffic signal was on.
The insider said the tram had just pulled away from a stop near the junction at the time.
“The tram driver applied the brake immediately, but it still hit them,” he added.
“The three-year-old girl and her grandfather were trapped underneath the tram and had to be freed by emergency personnel.”
A police spokesman said the three-year-old was unconscious during the rescue.
“The man suffered serious head injuries but remained conscious, while the elder girl was bleeding from her head,” he added.

The family and their helper were rushed to Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam, but the three-year-old was later pronounced dead.
The three injured were in a stable condition in hospital at 4pm. Police said the grandfather sustained multiple injuries, the six-year-old suffered head injuries and the helper hurt her leg.
Residents and workers in the neighbourhood placed flowers at the site.
Hong Kong Tramways expressed “deep sorrow” and “sincerest condolences”. The company said it was “fully assisting” police with their investigation.
The firm said the tram was operating normally when the incident happened. The driver was suspended from duty and is helping the police inquiry.
The company added the driver had been an employee for four years and nine months and had “no bad driving record”. It said the incident happened during his third trip of the day.
Tram services on the route were affected for about an hour.
Officers from the Hong Kong Island traffic unit are investigating and have urged witnesses to come forward with any information.
The source said authorities would check surveillance camera footage for evidence.


Lo Kok-keung, a retired engineer, said pedestrians should not underestimate the risks associated with trams, even though they generally operated at slower speeds than other vehicles.
He explained that trams were heavier and had less friction on roads, resulting in longer braking distances in emergencies.
As a result, he said, that following a collision, a tram could be more likely to trap a pedestrian beneath it compared with a private car.
Thursday’s accident was the second fatality involving a tram this year.
A 37-year-old woman was hit by a tram on Des Voeux Road Central in Central on January 31 and died in hospital two days later.
A man, 41, died last July after he was knocked down by a tram and trapped underneath it on the same road, Des Voeux Road Central, but in Sheung Wan.
Police arrested the tram driver, a 35-year-old man, on suspicion of dangerous driving causing death.
The Transport Department said 23 trams were involved in road traffic accidents in the first five months of this year.
The number of accidents a year involving trams dropped from 61 in 2021 to 39 in 2022, then rose to 47 in 2023.
The latest police figures show the number of people killed or seriously injured in traffic accidents across the city dropped by 39.4 per cent to 478 in the first seven months of this year from 790 in the same period in 2023.
Additional reporting by Ambrose Li


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