Three members of a Chinese dance troupe were still recovering in a hospital after an automobile accident in eastern Washington that killed two teen-age boys. But two of the hospitalized victims were upgraded to satisfactory condition.
The third victim in hospital, a teen-age boy named Tao Yong, remained in serious condition Sunday with a fractured jaw and a fractured left arm.
Zhaxi Cairang, who had chest injuries, and Li Hengbin, who had neck injuries, were listed in satisfactory condition, said David Kellogg, nursing supervisor at Sacred Heart Medical Center. Both men are in their 40s.
Nearly two dozen of the 36 group members were injured when their three vans crashed Friday on an icy highway about 18 miles (30 kilometers) south of Ritzville.
Two teen-age boys were killed in the accident. Their parents were on their way to Seattle to bury them. The dead were identified as Shuli Jia, 17, and Xiang Gong, 16. They will probably be buried in Seattle because it's cheaper than flying the bodies back to China, Hu said.
The other members of the troupe have been driven back to Seattle, where they were housed by people with the Asian Performing Arts Theater, which was organizing the troupe's American tour.
Most will fly back to China as soon as they can, cutting short a tour that was intended to be three weeks long. But some will stay behind for a little while until their injuries heal, said Pastor Andrew Hu of Trinity United Methodist Church in Ritzville. Hu acted as interpreter for members of the troupe while they were in Spokane.
The Washington State Patrol is investigating, but officers believe a snowstorm caused the accident.
Officials from the Chinese consulate in San Francisco also arrived in Washington and met with the dancers.
Many of the visiting dancers, from the Beijing Academy of Dance, were in their teens or early 20s.
The 36 members of the dance troupe were in the midst of a three-week tour titled "China in Dance 2001-Legends of the Dynasties." The tour opened in Seattle earlier this month. Dancers performed Thursday in Spokane and were headed to a Saturday show in Portland, Oregon, when the accident happened.
The tour had also been planned to include stops in San Jose and Los Angeles, California.
(Chinadaily.com.cn 02/19/2001)
