Six people died yesterday when a tour bus carrying 45 passengers crashed into the side of a mountain along the Suhua Highway.
Ten people were severely injured and five had minor injuries.
The Yilan County Fire Department said that it received a report of the accident at 4:29pm, adding that it is still investigating the cause.
Photo: Chiang Chih-hsiung, Taipei Times
The bus had been manufactured in January 2018 and had passed its regular inspection this year, the Directorate-General of Highways said.
The driver, surnamed Yu (游), had obtained his license for large vehicles on March 30 last year, it added.
Yu said that the brakes were not working.
New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) Office said that the bus was carrying residents of the district’s Fusing Borough (復興).
Fusing Borough Warden Liu Hung-chu (劉洪珠) had arranged a two-day outing for 160 residents using her own money, the office said.
She had hired four buses, and the accident occurred on the return leg of the trip, it said, adding that the three other buses arrived safely at Suao Station.
Teng Lung Transport (騰龍通運), which the buses are registered under, said that it had only learned of the accident after seeing it on the news.
The trip was arranged through Good Vision Travel Agency Co (好視野旅行社), the company said.
Representatives from the bus company and travel agency visited the site of the accident.
Teng Lung Transport paid each injured person NT$2,000 (US$70.76) and gave NT$50,000 to family members of the deceased.
The Taiwan Transport Safety Board dispatched officials to gather information for an official inquiry.
The crash site, near the 115km marker of the southbound lane, obstructed traffic, but the Suhua Highway traffic control center said the road had been cleared by 8pm.
The Chinese-language Apple Daily reported that New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) had telephoned Yilan County Commissioner Lin Tzu-miao (林姿妙) as soon as he learned of the accident and asked that Lin make every effort to help the injured people.
Hou last night visited the wounded and their family members at the Tri-service General Hospital’s Yilan branch, the report said.
The Insurance Bureau said that those who died in the accident would each be entitled to compensation of at least NT$4 million from South China Insurance Co (華南產險).
That includes a basic coverage of NT$2 million in compulsory vehicle liability insurance and NT$2 million in travel agency liability insurance, Insurance Bureau Director-General Shih Chiung-hwa (施瓊華) said.
Additional reporting by Kao Shih-ching
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