Death toll in Taiwan tour bus crash rises to 33
Baku, February 14, AZERTAC
The death toll in the crash of a tour bus returning from a trip to cherry trees in Central Taiwan’s Wuling Farm rose to 33 Tuesday, while another accident involving a bus carrying visitors to/from the same scenic area did not cause any injuries, according to Taiwan News.
On the way back from the one-day trip Monday evening, the bus flipped over the barrier on the right side of a curve on the exit ramp from National Freeway No.5 coming from Yilan County to National Freeway No.3 in Taipei’s Nangang District.
The roof of the bus was ripped off and passengers flew out of the bus, reports said. Out of the 44 passengers, 11 were still being treated in hospital Tuesday. The crash amounted to the most serious road accident in Taiwan for 30 years.
The 33th fatality announced Tuesday was an unnamed man who succumbed to his injuries at the Taipei Municipal Wanfang Hospital.
The ages of the victims ranged from 21 to 68, with most of them in their 50s and 60s.
The precise cause of the accident has not been announced yet, but theories mentioned included speed 20 kilometers per hour over the 60 kph limit and driver fatigue after at least 14 hours at the wheel.
Iris Travel Agency Co., Ltd., which owned the bus, said the driver, a man surnamed Kang who was among the fatalities, had received 24 hours of rest before venturing out on Monday’s trip, but his daughter told the media Tuesday that he had only had one day off over the 16 days since the start of the Lunar New Year holiday.
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