Sun Yat-sen's granddaughter improving after head-on crash

The condition of Nora Sun Sui-fen (pictured), a granddaughter of the late founder of the Chinese republic Dr Sun Yat-sen, has improved slightly after more than eight hours of emergency surgery.

Doctors said Sun, who was in a coma after a serious car accident in Taipei on Saturday, would need close attention until today before they could list her condition as stable.

Sun, 72, suffered serious injuries to her chest and abdomen after her car was hit by another car coming from the opposite direction. The accident happened at 7.40am as Taiwan celebrated the centennial anniversary of the Republic of China, founded in 1911 by Sun's grandfather.

A friend was taking her to Taoyuan International Airport for a Hong Kong-bound flight when a car driven by a 19-year-old university student went out of control and rammed into a crash barrier before running directly into Sun's car.

Sun's condition was critical and some reports said her heart had stopped when she was taken to the nearby Shin Kong Wu Ho-su Memorial Hospital for emergency treatment. Doctors said, however, that she was only in a deep coma as the result of the multiple traumas, lacerations of the liver and massive internal bleeding.

'Her coma condition has improved from Condition 3, which is the worst, to Condition 9, and her eyes can respond to light, indicating there is a marked improvement in her brain,' said Dr Chen Ching-lin, the hospital's chief of surgery. She was also able to react to some simple directions, such as moving her eyes and fingers.