Relevant parties in the mainland will make every effort to deal with the aftermath of the Mainland tourist car accident.
A spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said in response to inquiries that after a major vehicle fire accident occurred in Taiwan on July 19, Premier Li Keqiang issued important instructions, requiring the Taiwan Affairs Office and the State Council to The Tourism Bureau and other departments will understand the situation as soon as possible and properly deal with the aftermath. The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, the National Tourism Administration, the Liaoning Provincial Government and other relevant parties immediately activated the emergency response mechanism. In accordance with the instructions of the central leadership, they verified and understood the situation, contacted and notified family members, activated the emergency contact window to maintain communication with Taiwan, and quickly organized work The team is preparing to go to Taiwan. At present, the working group led by the Secretary-General of the Cross-Strait Tourism Exchange Association has set off at noon on the 20th. The working group from Liaoning Province will also arrive in Taiwan in the evening, and matters related to family members going to Taiwan are also being processed. We will maintain close contact with relevant departments and frontline working groups and do our best to handle the aftermath.
We are deeply saddened by the loss of life to many people in this accident. Relevant parties in Taiwan should identify the cause and responsibility of the accident as soon as possible, properly handle follow-up matters, and safeguard the rights and interests of the victims; take effective measures to strengthen safety management, eliminate safety hazards, and ensure the safety of life and property of tourists visiting Taiwan.
Chen Deming expressed his condolences for the major vehicle fire accident involving mainland tourists in Taiwan
Chen Deming, president of the Association for Cross-Strait Relations, said that he learned that 26 people, including 24 mainland tourists, were killed in a major vehicle fire accident in Taiwan on July 19. Very shocked and saddened. On behalf of the Association for Relations Across the Strait, I would like to express my deep condolences to the compatriots who were killed and my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims.
Chen Deming said that after the ARATS learned about the accident, according to the authorization from the relevant parties, it immediately activated the emergency contact window to learn about the verification situation and assist relevant personnel and the families of the victims to go to Taiwan as soon as possible. The ARATS will fully cooperate and coordinate with relevant parties to carry out relevant follow-up work in accordance with the requirements of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.
On the 19th, a tour bus for a mainland tourist group caught fire on the liaison road of Taiwan's Taoyuan Airport, killing all 26 people on the bus, including 24 mainland tourists. The news shocked both sides of the Taiwan Strait. What we should see is besides the truth about the cause of the accident. We should also see the true feelings of people after the accident.
The remains of the 26 deceased people who have been killed so far have been gradually moved to Zhongli Funeral Home for storage. The Taoyuan City Government has set up the Huaiyuan Hall of the Zhongli Funeral Home Joint Service Center as a simple mourning hall. It is expected that the family members of the mainland victims will arrive at Taoyuan Airport at 19:30 on the 20th and go to the Zhongli Funeral Home to handle the aftermath. In addition, four staff members of the Maritime Travel Association have arrived in Taiwan at 15:35 pm, and five people including Taiwan-related officials from Liaoning Province will also arrive in Taiwan at 18:00.
Mainland tourists visiting Taiwan encountered the worst car fire accident in history
Looking back at the time, according to road surveillance footage, the tour bus that caught fire in Taiwan was clearly smoking before it hit the roadside guardrail. The vehicle was monitored from the earliest There is a 1.3-kilometer distance between the road section with a lot of smoke and the final self-crash location. During this distance, how did the driver deal with the smoke situation, why he did not stop to escape, and the reasons why the vehicle smoked while driving. Due to the 26 Everyone was killed, and the truth can only wait for the results of the evidence collection and investigation by the fire and police units on the car.
How the tragedy happened
After investigation by Taiwanese investigators, found that the escape safety door of the tour bus had an extra iron bolt locked, which could not be opened when passengers panicked. The right rear door was blocked by the guardrail, impeding escape, resulting in nine bodies stacked in the back seat area. As for who installed the iron bolt, the prosecutor is still finding out.
After identification, the Taoyuan City Fire Department initially determined that the fire started near the driver's seat. It should be a mechanical wire that caught fire. There was a fire extinguisher behind the driver's seat that was not in use. The reason is unclear. As for the life-saving window breaker (safety hammer), it has not been found at the accident scene, and the search will continue.
Two prosecutors from the Taoyuan District Prosecutor’s Office and the Fire Department visited the accident scene and found that the front and rear doors were half-open. It was not ruled out that the controller failed.The emergency escape safety door has an extra iron bolt. This iron bolt needs to be pushed up to open. It was previously "locked down". It is suspected that the driver and tour guide did not teach tourists how to use it in advance, causing a disaster. The remaining doors and driver's seat The doors are normal.
The Fire Department said that usually when taking a tour bus, passengers only know how to enter and exit through the front door or the middle door. Because the front of the car caught fire in this accident, it was determined that the passengers could only escape through the rear half, but no one knew how to open the safety door. In addition, the car door was burned and deformed and could not be opened at all, which resulted in such serious casualties.
It only takes five seconds to open the security door, why didn't it open? The prosecutor determined that the driver and tour guide sitting in the front might have been seriously injured immediately or the car would have crashed and been engulfed in fire from the front, and they would have had no time to react, resulting in tragedy.
Whether the driver mishandled the vehicle, the condition of the vehicle and mechanical failure, etc., involve the attribution of subsequent responsibilities. Prosecutors have subpoenaed travel agencies and tour company operators to learn about vehicle maintenance and usage and the driver's working conditions.
In addition to the truth, there is also true feelings
As soon as the tour bus fell into the flames, we can see from the photos at the scene Taiwan police officer Lin Guanghua and the driver of the passing gravel truck struggling to save people.
It can be seen from the picture that the two people used fire extinguishers to knock on the window of the car regardless of the violent fire and the danger of the car exploding. However, the window of the tour bus was too high and they were unable to rescue the trapped tourists in the end. Police officer Lin Guanghua said sadly afterwards: It is a pity.
After the firefighters arrived, the enthusiastic gravel truck driver said in a low-key manner, "I will not affect your disaster relief," and then left silently without leaving his name. The firefighters who rushed to the scene ignored the danger of the vehicle exploding and immediately pulled out water lines to rescue people. When the vehicle was still smoking, they rushed into the vehicle to save people, but unfortunately there was nothing they could do.
After the incident, Taiwanese Buddhist charity groups and other volunteers stepped in to help with the aftermath, commemorating the deceased from day to night. In the simple mourning hall for the victims, these Taiwanese volunteers can still be seen busy.
In addition to laying wreaths to express their condolences, people from all walks of life also sent paper airplanes from Taiwan compatriots, hoping to carry local passengers home.
