Seven missing after Taiwan tour group bus plunges into river in Fujian; two reported dead

▲ Two deaths reported in Wufu Travel Agency bus plunge incident; five people still missing. (Photo / from mainland Chinese website)

Reported by Chen Rui-zhong / Compiled report

At 12:30 PM today (May 23), on the section of Kengkou Road in Xinwei Town, Huian County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province, a tour bus operated by Hsinchu’s Wufu Travel Agency carrying a group of Taiwanese tourists fell into the Jiulong River due to slippery roads caused by rain. The bus was carrying 26 passengers, 19 of whom have been rescued and sent to the hospital for emergency treatment. Among the seven missing passengers, according to Fujian Broadcasting News, two bodies without vital signs have been found, but their identities remain unconfirmed. Search operations for the remaining five passengers are still underway.

This tour group had departed on May 22 for a four-day trip under the itinerary “Golden Xiamen Tulou Hot Springs Fun 4-Day Tour.” Most participants were seniors from Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli who had traveled together as friends. The accident occurred on a key road connecting to the tulou sites. The weather in the area remains poor, and local authorities have deployed large cranes to lift the bus, which is over 10 meters offshore. Tourism associations and agencies are assisting families in traveling to Fujian in batches tonight and tomorrow to handle follow-up matters.

List of missing persons:
Lin Taiping (born in 1945)
Tong Xu Aixiao (born in 1945)
Tong Yueying (born in 1955)
Chen Junyuan (born in 1954)
Tong Azhu (born in 1958)
Tong Ade (born in 1957)
Lai Chenyue (born in 1964)