A container lorry lost control Tuesday morning and fell from a flyover -- sending its container carrying 18 tonnes of iron and copper onto a slope within 50 metres of a residential complex in So Uk Estate, Kowloon West.

Police officers evacuated 45 residents from Peony House following the accident at Ching Cheung Road in Cheung Sha Wan.

Witnesses said the lorry landed on a road under the flyover.

The driver, who blamed malfunctioning brakes, was thrown from the vehicle and seriously injured.

"I saw the lorry turn over on its side and fall onto the suspended highway below, and I began praying for the driver," said a resident who witnessed the accident at about 8 AM.

Another witness, Mr Wong, a resident of Peony House, said the crash terrified him.

"The lorry fell from the flyover and its container landed on the slope right next to our building. I was very afraid at the time that the container might hit us."

Police evacuated residents who lived on the first seven floors of the building as they were worried that the 20-foot container might hurtle down the slope and injure someone.

A number of the evacuees said they were unaware that an accident had occurred when police officers visited their flats.

The lorry was removed from the scene three hours after the accident.

The 47-year-old driver was in critical condition at Caritas Medical Centre last night.

The driver said the lorry brakes did not work when he tried to turn on the flyover, the police noted.

Part of the road will have to be closed for repair work, said Kowloon West Traffic Police Superintendent Craig Mallabone.

The Transport Department said it is planning to increase the height of the flyover railings from 1.2 to 1.5 metres, and will implement works shortly to prevent similar accidents in future.

Experts have identified the section of Ching Cheung Road where the accident occurred as one of 39 dangerous roads in the territory, the department said.

There have been two previous major traffic accidents at Ching Cheung Road, in the 1970s and 1990s.

Residents of So Uk Estate said the previous accidents were similar in nature to Tuesday's mishap.

(China Daily HK Edition August 18, 2004)