A bus carrying a tour group from Suzhou, China, overturned on the National Sun Yat-sen Freeway (Freeway No. 1) after colliding with a gravel truck, killing one person and injuring 26.
Reports from the Tourism Bureau and the Directorate-General of Highways (DGH) showed that the accident occurred at about 1:30pm, when the tour bus was passing through Miaoli on the northbound lane of Freeway No. 1.
Commenting on the cause of the accident, the DGH said the tour bus driver was suspected of mishandling the vehicle, causing it to hit the barriers in the inner lane before it overturned and landed on the outer lane.
The gravel truck driver, who was driving on the outer lane at the time, then ran into the tour bus after failing to stop the truck in time, the DGH said.
The tour bus driver, surnamed Huang (黃), was killed on the spot. A tour guide, 24 tourists and the gravel truck driver were sent to different hospitals in Miaoli for medical treatment. Two tourists did not sustain any injuries in the accident.
The DGH said its records showed that the owner of the bus, which has been in operation since 2005, has kept regular maintenance of the vehicle.
The tour bus driver also did not have any records of traffic violations or driving under the influence.
The bureau said the tour group arrived in Taiwan on Saturday for an eight-day tour and is scheduled to leave on Saturday.
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