Taxi passengers take wheel after cabby faints while driving on Hong Kong highway

Four taxi passengers escaped injury after their driver lost consciousness at the wheel on a Hong Kong highway, leaving them struggling to control the vehicle before it hit a road divider.

Dashcam footage circulating online on Monday captured the incident.

It showed the 66-year-old driver slumped unconscious behind the wheel as a male passenger in the front seat and three women in the back desperately try to rouse him.

The taxi was travelling eastbound on Ching Cheung Road near Nob Hill at about noon when the driver suddenly passed out.

Their efforts proved futile as the driver appeared completely unresponsive while the passengers were visibly terrified.

The taxi continued moving without anyone properly controlling it for more than 30 seconds.

A woman seated in the back stood up and grabbed the steering wheel, guiding the vehicle with the help of the elderly man in the front seat.

The vehicle experienced a violent shake before the cab slowly came to a stop after scraping against a roadside kerb on its right.

The collision burst the front right tyre, although the vehicle did not appear to sustain significant damage.

The passengers got out of the taxi uninjured and called for help.

The unconscious driver was rushed by ambulance to Caritas Medical Centre in Cheung Sha Wan. He remained in a critical condition as of Wednesday night.