A Taiwan tour bus carrying tourists from China crashed into a highway railing on its way to the airport on Tuesday, July 19, and bursts into flames, killing all 26 on board, Taiwanese authorities said.
Aboard the bus were 24 tourists on an eight-day tour organized by a travel agency in China's northeastern province of Liaoning, officials said. The Taiwanese driver and tour guide were also killed.
“The fire moved very fast. All 26 died,” said Lu Jui-yao, an official with the National Highway Police Bureau.
Taiwan is a popular destination for tourists from mainland China, who provide a major source of tourism revenue for the island. Several traffic accidents in Taiwan involving Chinese tourists have been reported previously.
Since Taiwan has been regarded as a renegade province of China, travel between the two countries was restricted. Over the past two decades, however, tourist exchanges have deepened, with many Chinese visiting the democratically ruled island.
The cause of fire was yet to be identified. Taiwan authorities were still investigating.
Tung Chen-yuan, Taiwan’s cabinet spokesman, said government officials dealing with tourism and China affairs have contacted their counterparts in the mainland for relatives of the victim to come to Taiwan.
The tourists were on their way to Taoyuan, the island's main airport, for their flight back to China when the tragedy took place.
Photo/Source: Huffington Post | Reuters
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