Three people remained missing Tuesday after a Sunday morning bus
crash in southwest China's Sichuan
Province that killed 21 people and injured 21 others.
Forty-five people, including the driver and a 21-year-old China
Travel Service guide, were on the bus traveling from Chongqing
Municipality to Jiuzhaigou, a famous Sichuan scenic spot, when
the accident occurred in Pingwu County.
"The bus was traveling at full speed when it suddenly crashed
into a wall. Then it bounced back and plunged into the Fujiang
River," the Chengdu Evening News quoted Liu Yun, a
witness, as saying on Monday.
The paper reported that the accident took place at a sharp curve
in the road.
Both the driver and the tour guide were among the dead.
"The passengers are all adults, with the eldest being 72. The
majority are women from Chongqing Municipality," said Si Yurong,
head of the county.
Si said all the survivors were injured. Eighteen were sent to a
town hospital in Mianyang, the county seat of Pingwu.
"The remaining three, who were more seriously injured, are
staying in the county hospital, each being given special care and
close monitoring by three doctors," she said.
All the injured have been removed from the critical list.
The China Travel Service and its insurance companies are
contributing 1 million yuan (US$120,000) to cover the medical
treatment of the injured passengers and other expenses.
Zhang Jie, an official with the Mianyang town government, said
that the preliminary investigation indicates that the bus was not
overloaded.
The bus was hoisted out of the river yesterday morning. One
woman's body was found inside, according to Si.
The search is continuing along the river for the missing
passengers, and investigation into the cause of the wreck is still
under way. Some of the relatives of those killed have arrived in
the area.
(China Daily October 12, 2004)