26 people, including 24 mainland Chinese, killed in tour bus blaze in Taiwan
Authorities still trying to establish what caused the tradedy, and why no-one was able to escape despite bus having multiple escape exits
Taiwanese authorities were last night still searching for clues to what caused yesterday’s bus tragedy that killed 26 people, including 24 mainland tourists, and why no one survived on a vehicle with multiple escape exits.
It was the deadliest bus fire on the island in 24 years.
The incident could deal a further blow to Taiwan, whose relations with the mainland have already been strained by the reluctance of the island’s new President Tsai Ing-wen to accept the “1992 consensus”, which Beijing insisted on as a foundation for continued cross-strait exchanges and talks, analysts said.
The front section of the bus, carrying tourists from Liaoning province, was ablaze before it rammed into a crash barrier on the island’s No 2 highway, just minutes away from Taoyuan International Airport, police said.
“None of the passengers survived the accident, which also killed the driver and the tour guide from Taiwan,” Lu Jui-yao, a highway police chief, said.