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Altogether 33 foreign tourists injured in a road accident in southwest China on Oct. 29 have returned home after 11 Singaporeans were flew home aboard an International SOS chartered plane Thursday, a local tourist official said Friday.
At present, seven foreign tourists, four Singaporeans and three Malaysians, are still treated in Huaxi Hospital under Sichuan University and Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, respectively, according to Teng Xiaoda, assistant general manager of China Travel Service (Sichuan), which organized the tourist group on a Sichuan tour.
The accident occurred approximately 85 kilometers from the scenic resort of Jiuzhaigou at around 3:20 p.m. on Oct. 29 when the bus carrying the 42-member tourist group ran out of the road and overturned. One Singaporean was killed and the other 41 overseas sightseers were injured. Two drivers and one tour guide were also injured.
Local police's preliminary investigation indicated overspeed was the cause for the deadly accident.
Li Jizhong, the bus driver, was detained by the police and would face criminal charges, local police said.
The police said Li drove through a curve at a speed of 70 km per hour as the permissible speed was less than 40 km per hour. Tourists had reminded the driver of the danger for the past driving at a curve road, but he ignored. He lost control over the bus, which slid off the road, fell down three meters down into a steep slope and overturned.
(Xinhua News Agency November 8, 2003)
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