Hong Kong bus overturns killing 18

A double-decker bus has crashed in Hong Kong killing 18 people and injuring nearly 50, officials say.

The bus was carrying spectators and workers from horse races before it overturned in the New Territories area.

Reports suggest it was going too fast. Some passengers managed to climb out of the vehicle on their own, but others had to be cut free by firefighters.

Hong Kong's public transport is usually safe, and deadly accidents of this scale are relatively infrequent.

Representatives from the bus operator said on Saturday evening that the driver had a good track record and knew the route, which only runs on race days.

Hong Kong's chief executive Carrie Lam said she was "deeply saddened", after visiting one of the 12 hospitals that were treating the injured.

She told reporters that an independent investigation led by a judge would carried out to establish what caused the crash.

Earlier reports said that 19 people were killed.

Saturday's accident appears to be the worst since July 2003, when a double-decker fell off an elevated road after being hit by a lorry, killing 21 people.

The lorry driver was jailed for seven months.

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