A 58-year-old Chinese tourist died in a traffic accident near Pintung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春) yesterday, the Tourism Bureau reported.
The tourist was a woman surnamed Hu (胡), the bureau added, without giving further personal details about the woman.
The bureau said that Hu was part of a tour group arranged by the Kaohsiung-based Chieh Li Travel Service Co (捷利旅行社) which was scheduled to travel throughout Taiwan from Wednesday to Monday next week, including 16 Chinese tourists from China’s Fujian Province, adding that a Taiwanese bus driver and tour guide were also on the bus.
The tour bus overturned near the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Hengchun, killing Hu and injuring 15 others. Two Chinese tourists did not suffer any injuries.
Commenting on the cause of the traffic accident, travel agency spokesperson Liu Hsuan-chiao (劉玄嬌) said she was told that it was raining and the driver was trying to avoid hitting something on the road.
She said she was trying to make contact with the tour guide, who was also injured.
Liu said Hu was traveling with her husband, who was also injured, adding that the injured tourists were treated at three hospitals in Hengchun, and that some of them might be transferred to a hospital in Kaohsiung due to severe injuries.
All of the Chinese tourists are insured as per the requirements of the Tourism Bureau, Liu said.
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