Taipei (AsiaNews) – 33 people have died in a road accident involving a tourist bus in Taiwan, on Monday night. The vehicle overturned on a Taipei highway.
Investigators believe the probable causes are the driver having fallen asleep or speeding.
Taiwan traffic police said that 30 people, including the driver and a guide, died on the spot. Another three died in hospital because of their injuries. The authorities are aware that 11 other people were hospitalized in serious condition in seven hospitals in Taipei.
All 44 passengers were Taiwanese citizens, many of them elderly, returning from a trip to Taichung.
Investigators reveal that the driver had been in service for 14 hours at the time of the crash, which occurred at 21.00 on Monday night. His shift had started at 6.30 am.
The vehicle had been thoroughly inspected only a month ago.
Government spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung has announced that the families of the victims will receive 6 million NTD (about 163,000 US dollars) as compensation.
The chairman of Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen and Lin Chuan Prime Minister have expressed their condolences.
The incident is the most serious in the country since 1986, when a bus plunged into a river in the country's central area, killing 42 people.
