Eight Taiwanese tourists who were taking part in a five-day tour of Cambodia were injured in a traffic accident yesterday, the travel agency that arranged the tour said.
Taipei-based Lion Travel Co (雄獅旅行社) said the tour group, which was made up of 10 Taiwanese tourists and one Taiwanese tour guide, left Taiwan on Monday and was scheduled to return to Taipei today.
The agency said in a statement that the crash happened at about 9am yesterday, when the tourists were on their way from Angkor Wat to the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.
The bus they were traveling in reportedly toppled sideways as it tried to avoid colliding with a motorcyclist riding on the wrong side of the road, the agency said.
The agency said that three of the tourists sustained serious injuries, while five others sustained mild injuries.
The three tourists who were seriously injured were all female, the agency said, adding that one of them was experiencing difficulty breathing, while the other two sustained head injuries, and they were all being treated at hospitals in Phnom Penh.
The tourists who sustained mild injuries were resting after having their wounds attended to in regional hospitals, the agency said, adding that its management team in Cambodia had been dispatched to assist the injured tourists and their families in every way possible.
Apart from the three seriously injured tourists who are unable to travel at the moment, the remaining tour group members are to return to Taiwan today as scheduled, the agency said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying that it has contacted the Taiwanese Businessmen Association in Cambodia, which was asked to assist the Taiwanese tourists in seeking medical attention and handling relevant matters.
The ministry said the government would assist family members of the injured tourists if they want to travel to Cambodia.
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