Original title: Utah 'the scene of the accident was very tragic and the tourist bus was seriously deformed'
More than Chinese citizens were injured in a car accident on a US tourist bus
Xinhua news agency, Los Angeles, September 20 - "the scene of the accident was very tragic. The tourist bus was seriously damaged and deformed. Many rescue vehicles and four helicopters came to the scene to transport the wounded away." Tim, a staff member of a Chinese tourism company, told Xinhua on the phone on the 20th local time.
At noon that day, a tourist bus full of Chinese speaking tourists had a serious accident on Utah Highway 12, about 5.6 kilometers west of Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah.
This photo provided by Utah highway patrol on September 20 shows the scene of a car accident near Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. Issued by Xinhua News Agency (provided by Utah Highway Patrol)
Utah Highway Patrol said that at the time of the incident, the tourist bus was on the way to Bryce Canyon National Park, with a total of 30 people on board. The accident caused at least 4 deaths, 12 to 15 serious injuries and 10 minor injuries.
According to a statement issued by the Chinese Embassy in the United States on the 20th, the car accident caused casualties to many Chinese citizens. The statement said that the Chinese Embassy in the United States attaches great importance to this, starts the emergency response mechanism for the first time, and is verifying the specific situation of the accident with the U.S. police. Minister counsellor and Consul General Zhong Ruiming has led the working group to visit the injured and understand the situation.
(screenshot of web page)
After the accident, the police closed Utah Highway 12, and Tim's tour group was blocked near the scene.
Tim saw at the scene that the injured were basically old people, many of them couples. After the accident, some elderly survivors were too frightened and confused. Other tourists who witnessed the scene were also very shocked and distressed.
This photo provided by Utah highway patrol on September 20 shows the scene of a car accident near Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah. Issued by Xinhua News Agency (provided by Utah Highway Patrol)
Utah Highway Patrol said that the injured were successively sent to many hospitals in Southern Utah, and several injured were transported to the hospital by air transportation.
Bryce Canyon National Park has unique scenery and attracts about 2 million tourists every year. Tim said that he has walked this road many times. The road is new and flat. I don't know why such a tragic car accident happened.
He said that the speed of the United States is fast, and tourism companies will require all tourists taking buses to fasten their seat belts and improve the safety factor.
Garfield County police said the tourist bus deviated from the road and hit the roadside guardrail when heading east. The National Transportation Safety Commission said it was sending personnel to investigate the cause of the accident.
Garfield county is vast and sparsely populated, with a population of less than 5000. The local government has issued an appeal to Chinese speaking volunteers to go to the hospital to provide help.
The University of Southern Utah said it was mobilizing foreign students from China to rush to the hospital to provide translation services. The University said in a statement that the Confucius Institute of the university has sent four teachers and students to provide translation and other assistance to U.S. law enforcement agencies, and other teachers and students are also on standby.
Gary middot, governor of Utah; Herbert expressed his condolences to the victims of the accident on social media on the 20th. He thanked the rescuers who rushed to the scene at the first time and the volunteers who acted as interpreters at the scene.