The death toll has risen to 14 and two passengers remain
missing after a tourist bus plunged into a deep ravine in Tibet on Friday, with another 13
injured.
Twenty-nine people were on board the 35-seater bus, including 27
tourists, a driver and a guide, said officials with the regional
tourism administration.
They said all the tourists were from the Chinese mainland.
The bus, en route from the regional capital Lhasa to the western
city of Xigaze, veered off the highway and plunged into Yarlung
Zangbo River at around 1:00?PM on Friday, some 90 km west of
Lhasa.
The local government said 12 people were killed on the spot,
including 10 women. Two others died later at hospital.
The 13 injured passengers have been hospitalized and rescuers
are searching for the two missing.
The identities of the passengers are still unknown.
The blacktop highway built in rugged mountains along the Yarlung
Zangbo River underwent renovations last year and is in good
condition, and local authorities are investigating the cause of the
accident.
(Xinhua News Agency July 14, 2007)