Six tourists from China killed in mountain crash

A tour bus carrying 19 Chinese tourists and a Taiwanese tour guide plunged off a mountain road into a vineyard in the Hsinyi (信義) Township of Nantou County last night, leaving at least six people dead and 14 injured.

A tour group of 40 people on two buses came from Liaoning and Dalian in China. The accident occurred just before 8pm as the buses were making their way from Tungpu (東埔) Township to Shuili (水里) Township in Nantou County.

The injured were rushed to the Chu Shang Show Chwan Hospital in Nantou. A rescue team was still working at the scene as of press time last night.

The cause of the accident was still unknown, although one of the tourists said the driver seemed to be having trouble with the brakes.

The group arrived in Taiwan last Thursday and was expected to return to China today.

Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) informed Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) of the accident soon after it occurred, and officials from MAC, the Ministry of Transportations and Communications and Straits Exchange Foundation rushed to the scene.