All the injured Taiwanese have been hospitalized and are in stable conditions so far. The families of the Taiwanese have been informed of the accident and some of the relatives have arrived Tuesday in Guiyang.

The mishap took place in Anshun, on the highway between Guiyang, the provincial capital, and Huangguoshu, a scenic place known for its big falls, at around 8 p.m., when the bus carrying the Taiwanese tourists bumped into the tail of a vehicle that had broken down on the roadside and was being repaired.

The local driver of the tourist bus, the local guide and the owner of the vehicle, who was repairing it, were killed on the spot, while all 21 Taiwanese tourists suffered different injuries.

Three of the Taiwanese tourists are in critical condition, with one of them suffering from encephalic bleeding, which means that there is bleeding from the brain inside the skull.

The local government launched an immediate rescue operation after learning about the accident. The Taiwanese were sent to a local hospital in Anshun for emergency treatment.

Three hours after the accident occurred, Yang Shengming, director of the provincial tourism administration, visited the injured tourists and reported the incident to the provincial government.

Tuesday afternoon, the 21 Taiwanese tourists were transferred to the No.1 Hospital attached to the Guizhou Medical College, one of the best medical institutions in the province.

On behalf of Governor Shi Xiushi, Wang Jianfu, a deputy secretary-general of the provincial government, and other related local officials visited the wounded travelers Tuesday morning.

The tour was organized by a Taiwan-based travel agency. Both the wounded and the travel agency thanked the local government for the timely rescue, according to official sources.

The cause of the accident is still under investigations.

(People's Daily 05/23/2001)