Taiwan tour group bus plunges into river in Fujian; HowToTrip Vice President: Slippery roads due to rain caused poor conditions

▲A Taiwanese tour group’s bus plunged into a river in Zhangzhou, Fujian on May 23, with 7 people still missing. (Photo / Screenshot from Chinese internet)

Reported by Chen Ruizhong / Taipei

At 12:30 noon today (May 23), on the section of Kengkou Road in Xinxu Town, Hua’an County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province, China, a tour bus operated by Hsinchu-based HowToTrip-affiliated Wufu Travel Agency carrying a Taiwanese tour group was involved in an accident. The vehicle unfortunately fell into the Jiulong River. There were 26 passengers on board; 19 have been rescued and sent to hospital for emergency treatment, while 7 remain missing.

▲Rescue personnel have been deployed in the Jiulong River area to search for the missing tourists as quickly as possible. (Photo / Screenshot from Chinese internet)

This tour group had departed on May 22 for a four-day trip under the itinerary “Four-Day Tour of Fujian: Xiamen Tulou, Gulangyu, and Kinmen (Direct Flight + Mini Three Links).” Most participants were senior citizens from Taoyuan, Hsinchu, and Miaoli who traveled together as friends.

Cai Mengjong, Vice President of Wufu Travel Agency, stated that according to local information, the bus fell into the river due to slippery roads caused by recent rainfall and poor road conditions. Among the 19 people currently hospitalized, 2 or 3 are in more serious condition and are still under observation.Additionally, the local weather remains rainy, and a large number of personnel have been deployed to search for the 7 missing tourists. The travel agency has also informed the families in Taiwan and will assist them in traveling to Fujian as soon as possible to handle follow-up matters.

Missing persons list:
Lin Taiping (born in 1934)
Tong Xu’axiao (born in 1934)
Tong Yueying (born in 1954)
Chen Junyuan (born in 1953)
Tong Azhu (born in 1957)
Tong A’de (born in 1936)
Lai Chenyue (born in 1941)

%Urgent: 7 injured passengers have been admitted to hospital, 2–3 of whom are in more serious condition. (Photo / Screenshot from Chinese internet)