Accident tourists given VIP treatment

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-6-21  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

ELEVEN Taiwanese tourists injured in a bus accident in northeast China returned home on a chartered flight yesterday.

The injured, along with family members and other tourists, boarded a flight organized by International SOS, a provider of medical and security assistance services.

The plane landed at 11:15am with SOS members in Jiamusi City, Heilongjiang Province, where the injured were hospitalized.

"I did not imagine the rescue work could be so rapid in such a remote place. The medical workers are very professional," said an injured tourist surnamed Wu. He was taken to the best hospital in the city soon after the accident on Monday.

Each of the injured had been cared for by one doctor and two nurses round the clock, said Cao Hongtao, the Jiamusi Center Hospital head.

Mao Quanhua, the eldest among those injured, said he felt at home in the hospital. "They treated us like a family," said his wife, Cai Baozhen, who was also injured in the crash.

One tourist died in the accident in Heilongjiang when the bus carrying 29 Taiwanese tourists plunged into a roadside ditch. Local traffic police attributed the accident to excessive speed and poor driving.

A 68-year-old Taiwanese died at the scene from head injuries. His body was cremated on Wednesday and his remains were taken aboard the flight by his son Chu Pengwen who has received compensation.