The Transport Department today said it is deeply saddened by the passing of an operator staff member in a traffic accident while working at Nam Wan Tunnel, and expressed its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.

In the small hours of today, the staff member was conducting traffic management on the closed slow lane at the Kowloon-bound entrance to facilitate the recovery of a broken-down vehicle in the slow lane inside the tunnel.

The department said it attaches great importance to work safety and has long required operators to strictly comply with relevant work guidelines. Initial investigations revealed that all staff members at the scene were wearing reflective vests and were following the operator's guidelines.

Police investigations into the cause of incident are underway. The department has requested that the operator render full assistance to the investigations and submit a detailed report on the case.

The department will follow up appropriately upon its findings and has requested the contractor to provide all practicable assistance to the family of the deceased.