Scared passengers 'may have caused bus to fall'

Terrified passengers may have caused a bus to fall off a Hong Kong bridge after it collided with a truck, killing 21 people and injuring 20 others.

The double-decker bus teetered for a moment on the edge before falling about 120ft to a hillside below.

“The bus see-sawed for a second,” one official told The South China Morning Post. “Passengers might have panicked and moved to the front so they could get out. It might be that was why it plunged.”

The 53-year-old truck driver is likely to be charged with reckless driving, police spokeswoman Carrie So said. He reportedly changed lanes suddenly before the bus ran into his vehicle.

Five women and 16 men, aged 24 to 66, were killed, including the bus driver and three teachers.

Three of the injured were in a critical condition and 13 were in a serious condition.