A fiery crash in the early hours of Thursday left a taxi driver dead and forced the closure of a stretch of the major road to the airport for six hours.

The taxi driver who was left trapped in his burning cab was pronounced dead, while the driver of one of two trucks involved was also injured.

Police say the accident began with a truck driven by a 46-year-old man rammed into another van driven by a man aged 53. The taxi driver, aged 39, then hit the back of the 46 year old's truck and burst into flames.

Firemen found the man's body after putting out the blaze.

The 46-year-old driver was taken, conscious, to Princess Margaret Hospital with chest injuries.

All lanes of the North Lantau Highway towards the airport were closed near Citygate in Tung Chung after the accident, which happened at about 4am. The slow lane of the highway was reopened shortly after 10am but traffic in the area remained busy. All lanes were reopened at about 11.45am.

The Transport Department urged people going to the airport to use other roads or consider alternative transport, such as the MTR. Bus routes using the highway were also diverted.

The New Territories South special traffic investigation team is looking into the incident.
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Last updated: 2023-03-30 HKT 15:02