18 die as coach plunges into gorge in China
March 11th, 2011 - 6:37 pm ICT by IANSBeijing, March 11 (IANS) At least 18 people died and 23 were injured after a bus coach plunged into a deep narrow gorge Friday morning in China, local rescuers said.
The accident occurred in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at about 10 a.m. when the bus veered off a national highway that links Xinjiang with Tibet, Xinhua quoted official with Xinjiang’s emergency rescue team as saying.
National highway 219 traverses through five mountain ranges reaching heights of over 5,000 metres, making it the most dangerous road to Tibet.
At least 12 passengers suffered serious injuries, while the other 11 suffered minor wounds, the official said.
There were 42 people, including the driver, on the coach when the accident happened. Most of them were heading to Tibet for work.
Nur Bekri, chairman of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Government who is attending the ongoing parliamentary session in Beijing, ordered the region to make an all-out effort in the rescue.
The driver escaped unhurt in the accident, he said.
- 16 killed, 21 injured in road accident in Tibet - Mar 15, 2011
- Xinjiang beckons Indian filmmakers - Nov 03, 2011
- Xinjiang governor to build business links with India - Nov 01, 2011
- 55 rescued from snow-hit Tibet highway - Feb 09, 2012
- Terrorists not to impact ties with Pakistan: China - Mar 07, 2012
- Nine killed in China bus-truck collision - Dec 10, 2011
- China vows crackdown over Xinjiang attacks - Aug 02, 2011
- Three killed as train hits bus in China - Mar 24, 2011
- China builds train link to 'sea of death' - Jul 23, 2012
- Bus-train collision kills 3, injures 85 in northwest China - Mar 25, 2011
- Chinese police kill seven kidnappers, free hostages - Dec 29, 2011
- 35 injured, 64,500 affected in China quake (Second Lead) - Jul 01, 2012
- 1,300 exploited kids rescued in China - Jan 15, 2012
- Heavy snow disrupts traffic on China-Nepal highway - Feb 09, 2012
- Six killed in China mine blast - Feb 15, 2012
Tags: china beijing, coach, dangerous road, emergency rescue, friday morning, march 11, minor wounds, mountain ranges, narrow gorge, northwest china, parliamentary session, plunges, reaching heights, region government, rescuers, tibet, traverses, xinhua, xinjiang uygur autonomous region