President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) instructed government agencies to provide all necessary assistance after learning of the fatal bus crash that killed 24 Chinese tourists and two Taiwanese, Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said yesterday.
The Executive Yuan established a central emergency operation center at 2pm in accordance with the Disaster Prevention and Protection Act (災害防救法), which requires the formation of such a center when a death toll exceeds 15 people, he told a routine news briefing at the Presidential Office Building.
Huang said he notified Tsai of the accident on National Freeway No. 2, which was reported at 12:57pm, immediately after it happened.
Photo: CNA
“The president expressed concern about the accident and instructed the relevant agencies to provide the necessary assistance,” he said.
The Executive Yuan held an emergency news conference at 3:30pm, and Cabinet spokesman Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said Premier Lin Chuan (林全) was saddened by the accident.
“National Fire Agency Director-General Chen Wen-lung (陳文龍) was appointed commander of the central emergency operation center,” Tung said.
Staff from the Office of Disaster Management, as well as the ministries of the interior, transportation and communications, justice and health and welfare were dispatched to the center to help with the follow-up, he said.
The Tourism Bureau informed Beijing about the incident via the Taiwan Strait Tourism Association and China’s Cross-Strait Tourism Exchange Association, while the Mainland Affairs Council and the Straits Exchange Foundation also notified their counterparts, Tung said.
“Government agencies will seek to ascertain the causes of the accident and explain them to the public soon as possible,” he said, adding that the government would provide all necessary assistance to the victims’ families.
The council also issued a news release promising to keep China informed of developments.
“The government expresses regret over this tragic accident. We will handle the aftermath of the crash and help arrange for the victims’ families to come to Taiwan,” it said.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) said it had activated its own emergency response mechanism, and it urged Taipei to properly handle the crash, ascertain its causes and step up safety management to avoid future traffic accidents.
“We are very concerned about the security and safety of mainland Chinese compatriots. Our concerned agencies will send a task force to Taiwan to help the victims’ families deal with the aftermath of the accident,” the TAO said.
The Democratic Progressive Party expressed its deepest regret and condolences over the tragic event, spokesman Wang Min-sheng (王閔生) said, adding that the party supported the government’s efforts to assist the bereaved families.
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