A man died and 16 others were injured after two traffic accidents occurred within on hour late Wednesday night on San Tin Highway in Lok Ma Chau, involving a total of eight vehicles.

The first crash happened at around 10 pm, when a private car reportedly tried to change lanes and collided with a taxi. A third car coming from behind was unable to brake in time and rammed into the taxi, causing a three-vehicle pileup.

Eight people were injured and taken to hospital, where all were later reported to be in stable condition.

At about 11:28 pm, another collision took place on the same stretch of highway, where traffic was still congested from the earlier accident. A public light bus reportedly failed to stop in time and slammed into the rear of a medium goods vehicle that had halted abruptly.

The impact propelled the vehicle forward, setting off a chain reaction that involved several other vehicles ahead. The light bus then veered into the adjacent lane and struck another medium truck.

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Rescue crews found the 49-year-old light bus driver trapped in the driver’s seat and seriously injured. Firefighters freed him from the wreckage, but he was found unconscious and rushed to Pok Oi Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Some passengers on the light bus were injured, suffering wounds to the mouth, legs, and head. People in private cars also sustained injuries, while two other truck drivers involved in the chain accident were reported to have felt unwell. All of them were taken to hospital in conscious condition.

Special Investigation Team of Traffic Branch in the Hong Kong Police Force is now investigating the circumstances of both crashes.