In a chilling accident on August 18, 1970, close to the Sino-British border at Lok Ma Chau, a catastrophic brake failure in a police Land Rover led to a tragedy that forever changed the lives of several families.
On that fateful day, as the sun reached its zenith, a Chinese tourist guide named Mr. Tang Shiu-kei found himself with a group of American visitors, eager to explore the sights and sounds near the border. The day that should have been filled with joyous discoveries took a horrifying turn when a police Land Rover, coming from the Lok Ma Chau Police Station, lost control due to a sudden brake failure while navigating a steep descent.
Attempting to prevent an imminent disaster, the police driver tried multiple times to divert the fast-accelerating vehicle to the side of the inclining road. Each attempt was thwarted as the roadside was congested with pedestrians. As the out-of-control Land Rover neared the intersection with the Lok Ma Chau Main Road, it ploughed into the group of unsuspecting tourists. The vehicle’s relentless momentum finally ceased when it veered off the path, coming to a halt amid dense foliage.
In the immediate aftermath of the accident, eight individuals lay injured, with Mr. Tang Shiu-kei in critical condition. The driver, though physically unscathed, was visibly shaken. Without wasting a moment, he sprinted to the nearby police station, seeking help. Officers quickly arrived at the scene, offering first aid to the injured alongside several tourist doctors until a convoy of ambulances reached the site. Despite earnest efforts, the injuries sustained by Mr. Tang proved fatal, as he passed away shortly after being admitted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
The aftermath of the accident was met with outrage and demands for accountability. Just a few months later, on December 11, 1970, the South China Morning Post reported the conclusions from an inquest into the accident. While the jury deemed it an “accidental death,” a Land Transport Department inspector who had examined the Land Rover post-accident declared it “unroadworthy.” This revelation raised concerns about the maintenance and safety standards followed by the police department. When the Police Information Bureau was questioned about the deplorable maintenance state of the vehicle, they offered no response, further deepening the mystery around this preventable tragedy.
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