According to a video taken by an eyewitness, good Samaritans rushed to help lift the taxi, which weighed1.5 tons, after it crashed into a safety island on Kwong Fuk Road at 11.21am today.

A woman located near the head of the taxi was rescued first, followed by another a woman who was rescued from underneath the vehicle.

Other citizens held up umbrellas to shelter the injured from the sun.

Police said the taxi was going along Kwong Fuk Road toward Po Heung Street when it lost control in front of a red traffic light. The taxi crashed into nine pedestrians and a traffic light pole, killing a 59-year-old man.

Another four men and five women aged between 4 and 70 were injured, including the 63-year-old taxi driver and a woman who was five months pregnant. They were sent to hospital for treatment.

The driver passed alcohol and drug tests, and was arrested for dangerous driving causing death.

Police will investigate the road conditions, the taxi's mechanics as well as the driver's mental condition. Witnesses are urged to contact the police.