2 mainlanders die as crane arm falls 31 floors onto Taipei tour bus

Two mainland tourists were killed and four injured in Taipei yesterday when the 50-metre arm of a crane fell from a high-rise building and crushed a tour bus, officials said.

The accident in the city's eastern commercial district came just a week before the May Day holiday, when thousands of mainland tourists are expected to flock to the island.

'I heard a big crushing sound and no sooner had the engine died than the bus literally leaped into the air. All the passengers screamed,' the tour bus driver said.

Screams were heard when rescuers pulled survivors out of the partially crushed bus. 'Be quick, there are still others inside,' shouted three female passengers, who were pulled from the bus and were so scared they could only sit on the ground.

The vehicle was making a right turn near the landmark Taipei 101 tower when the crane arm fell from the 31st floor of a building under construction and landed on the tail section of the tour bus.

Tourist Li Fuqing, 46, died instantly, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin, who rushed to the scene, said. Taiwanese TV said Li was decapitated by the impact. Another male tourist, identified as Wang Bingkun, 63, died in hospital, while a third, Chang Xuguang, 57, was in critical condition and on a life support system, the mayor and doctors said. Three other tourists, including Wang Peiling, a cousin of Wang Bingkun, were slightly injured, they said.