Hong Kong - A lorry driver involved in a crash that killed six men in Hong Kong was nearly seven times over the legal drink-drive limit, a court was told Monday.

Law Siu-kuen, 41, was driving a container truck that collided with a taxi carrying five construction workers the day before the start of the Chinese New Year holiday last month in an accident that shocked Hong Kong.

He was allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road when his lorry slammed into the taxi, dragging it for 50 metres and killing the 54-year-old driver and the five passengers, ages 30 to 47.

A breath test at the scene found him to be three times over the drink-drive limit, but at a court hearing Monday, prosecutors said a later blood test discovered he was almost seven times over the limit.

The blood alcohol limit in Hong Kong is 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, the same as in Germany, Australia and Japan but less than in London and Singapore, where the limit is 80 mg.

Law is already charged with dangerous driving causing death, but at Monday's hearing, lawyers for the prosecution said an additional charge of drink driving might be brought against the lorry driver.

No plea was entered at Monday's hearing, and acting Magistrate Woo Heuy-fan granted Law bail of 50,000 Hong Kong dollars (6,450 US dollars) and adjourned the case until March 23.

The death of the six men in January, many of them leaving widows and young children, sparked calls for tougher jail terms and even life imprisonment for killer drink drivers in the former British colony.

Relatives of some of the victims staged a protest outside the Magistrates Court, holding up banners demanding tougher sentencing for drink drivers. (dpa)