HK officials helping to recover bodies after Jiangxi road crash
Two representatives from the Hong Kong government's office in Guangzhou left for Jiangxi province yesterday to help recover the bodies of three Hong Kong family members killed in a road accident.
The 31-year-old man and two women aged 47 and 55 were killed along with a mainland relative when the car in which they were travelling plunged 70 metres into a pond.
They were part of a group of nine Hong Kong residents and two mainlanders travelling in two cars. The vehicle that crashed was carrying seven people.
The Hong Kong government representatives said they would help the family send the bodies back to Hong Kong. They would also offer assistance in securing treatment for the injured, who would decide whether to stay in Jiangxi or return to Hong Kong.
A relative of the deceased who was in the second car said local police believed that the accident may have been caused by his brother-in-law falling asleep at the wheel.
'We were heading to the right and our car was behind. Suddenly, their car headed to the left and it plunged even before we could hoot [the car horn],' he said.
Police had told him there were no skid marks on the road, indicating that the driver did not attempt to brake.
It was the first time his brother-in-law, who survived the crash, had driven in Jiangxi, but he did have experience driving in other parts of the mainland. A local tour guide was also in the car giving directions, so it was doubtful that the accident was caused by unfamiliarity with the road, he said.
His nephew, sister-in-law and younger sister died in the crash. Two other family members were being treated for injuries at Yushan People's Hospital in Yushan county.
The accident occurred at 4pm, after the family visited Sanqing Mountain and drove downhill.
