DotDotWeekly | HK news highlights from Dec. 30-Jan. 3

Welcome to DotDotWeekly. Every Friday, we take you on a journey through the latest local news and captivating stories from DotDotNews this week.

About 720,000 enter and exit HK on New Year's Eve: Tang Ping-keung

In the early hours of Jan. 1, a New Year's Eve fireworks countdown event was held by the Victoria Harbour. The Lo Wu Control Point extended its operating hours by two hours until 2 a.m., while the Shenzhen Bay Control Point operated 24 hours.

The Secretary for Security, Tang Ping-keung, inspected the operations at the Lo Wu Control Point after midnight and met with the media, stating that the last East Rail train left the city at 12:56 a.m. and arrived at Lo Wu around 1:46 a.m. The situation at the Lo Wu Control Point was very orderly, with citizens waiting only a few minutes at most to cross.

Grand welcome for C919 in HK: Water salute marks first Shanghai-HK regular commercial flight

China's domestically produced C919 aircraft made its highly anticipated debut in Hong Kong on Jan. 1, 2025, completing its first commercial flight on the Shanghai-HK route.

The flight, operated by China Eastern Airlines, landed at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) at 10:44 a.m. after a journey of approximately 2 hours and 23 minutes. The aircraft was greeted with a ceremonial water salute, the highest honor in aviation.

Fatal multi-vehicle crash on West Kowloon Highway leaves 3 dead, 4 injured

Hong Kong police are investigating a fatal traffic accident that occurred in the early hours of Jan. 1 in Mong Kok, leaving three men dead and four others injured.

At approximately 1:44 a.m., a private car driven by a 30-year-old man, carrying four male passengers aged between 19 and 34, was traveling in the third lane heading toward the Western Harbour Crossing. Meanwhile, a taxi driven by a 65-year-old man, carrying a 23-year-old male passenger and a 19-year-old female passenger, was traveling in the second lane.

According to reports, the taxi abruptly changed lanes and collided with the private car. The collision caused the private car to lose control, crashing into a barrier and then striking another moving taxi and three stationary private vehicles parked nearby.

Over 1,200 brave frigid waters in HK's annual New Year's Day winter swim

More than 1,200 participants joined the annual New Year's Day winter swim on Jan. 1, held in the Southern District of Hong Kong. The event started at Middle Bay and ended at Repulse Bay, covering a 600-meter course.