The aftermath of a horrific tragedy in Kowloon City last night: a 47-year-old man riding a bicycle was crushed by a taxi driver who’d passed out at the wheel

An octogenarian taxi driver reportedly passed out at the wheel in Kowloon City last night, losing control of his taxi and crushing a 47-year-old cyclist against a container truck, killing him.

Police say taxi driver Mr Sun, 80, was driving along To Kwa Wan Road eastbound at 7:57pm when he collided with a “non-Chinese” male riding a Trinx mountain bike, crushing him against an illegally-parked container truck.

The rider, not named by police, was trapped between the taxi and the container truck undercarriage while fire crews rushed to save his life. Emergency services managed to free him and take him, unconscious, to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where he died at 6:57am this morning.

Police say the taxi driver “felt unwell” and was also taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. They arrested him for dangerous driving causing death.

Several local media reports indicate the taxi driver had passed out at the wheel, losing control of the taxi which had continued driving for some distance before striking the victim.

The victim was carrying Indian takeout food, although it is not confirmed if he was working as a delivery rider or simply taking dinner home. Neither Food Panda or Deliveroo have yet responded to questions on whether the victim was working for them.

Last year almost half of taxi drivers involved in traffic crashes were 60 or over, and nearly a quarter were 65 or over.

Fire crews fought to save the victim but he died around 11 hours later in hospital. Right: scattered takeout containers and the victim’s shoe lie in pools of his blood