Chinese kin identify bus inferno victims

TAIPEI: Distraught relatives of 24 Chinese tourists who died after a fire ripped through their bus in Taiwan broke down in tears yesterday as they arrived on the island to identify their loved ones.

The mainland tour group was travelling just a few kilometres away from Taoyuan airport here to catch a flight home on Tuesday when their bus was engulfed in flames and careered through an expressway barrier, killing all 26 on board, including the driver and guide.

Investigators are probing the cause of the accident and say the fire started at the front of the bus, near the driver’s seat. Questions are swirling over why none were able to escape through emergency exits.

One female relative in her 50s collapsed in tears and pounded a table in front of gold-framed portraits of the dead, including three children, at a funeral parlour near the airport, where the bodies are being kept.

Two other women sank to their knees in front of the images of the victims. They were among dozens of relatives at the parlour as Buddhist volunteers chanted outside.

The family members bowed three times in front of the portraits and laid white flowers in front of them. They then returned to their hotel where they will meet Taiwanese officials later. Chinese officials have demanded Taiwan take measures to ensure the safety of mainland visitors.

A highway police officer and a truck driver tried to save the trapped tourists, with pictures showing them attempting to smash windows with fire extinguishers. One witness said passengers inside the bus had been pounding on windows as the bus swerved off the highway.

A post-mortem on the driver’s body revealed he had inhaled a large amount of smoke. AFP