The Chinese Ambassador, Wu Xi, bowed to the place where five Chinese tourists were killed. (New Zealand Stuff Network)
According to a number of media reports, more than 11:00 on September 4, near the town of Rotoruva, North Island, New Zealand, a Sichuan tourist bus carrying 23 people from Auckland overturned on the accident-prone road section, killing six people and injuring 17. Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand Wu Xi went to the site of the accident on Wednesday and arrived at the place where five Chinese tourists were killed at 11:00 on Thursday, just 24 hours after the accident. Accompanied by her entourage, she bowed flowers to those who had died.
Chengdu Wenguang Travel Bureau said the tourists on the bus were a team of Chengdu Youth Travel Organization. The tour group left on September 2, Beijing time to take part in a tour of Chengdu to Melbourne, Australia, New Zealand, on the 12th. According to the itinerary of the tour group, visitors were scheduled to visit the Maori cultural village southeast of Rotoruva and then go to the geothermal cultural area to experience a hot spring foot bath trip. In addition, you will also take the Rotoruva Lake Queen cruise ship, watch the volcanic lake landscape, enjoy lamb chops buffet and barbecue dinner.
A travel company staff in Chengdu said that six of them were organized by Ctrip Chengdu Branch. When journalist confirmed to the group staff, the staff said the incident was responded to by Chengdu Youth Brigade.
Subsequently, the head of Chengdu China Youth Travel Service said, "We have confirmed the identity of the whole group of tourists, and have made contact with the tourists` families."
It is understood that the rollover accident has been highly valued by the municipal government leaders, the relevant deputy mayors issued instructions, the city`s Wenguang Brigade Bureau in the first time to start emergency disposal plan, designated relevant responsible personnel to follow up the situation and send personnel to deal with, and instructed the city`s China Youth Travel Agency to fully treat the wounded, properly deal with the aftermath of the personnel.
At about 6: 00 p.m. on the 4th, Chengdu`s China Youth Travel Agency issued a notice on the September 4 New Zealand bus overturning accident, Chengdu Business Daily reported.
According to the announcement, officials confirmed that the car accident caused five tourists death; 15 tourists and a leader were slightly injured and returned to the hotel after simple treatment in the hospital; and three other tourists with varying degrees of fracture were transferred to Hamilton Hospital for treatment without life-threatening.
In addition, Chengdu China Youth Travel Agency has reported to the competent department of parade industry, contacted the government Foreign Affairs Office of Chengdu people to initiate consular protection procedures, applied for green passage, and went through the formalities for the relevant family members to go to New Zealand on an emergency basis.
The first group of emergency treatment teams will be in New Zealand on the evening of April to organize emergency treatment and rehabilitation.
The witness said the scene was very confusing.
Basnett was one of the first to be on the scene in the event of an accident. At that time, he and his family were travelling from Te Puke to Hamilton to drive. He said the scene of the accident was chaotic and people were trying to climb out of the side-turning bus. Witnesses helped a 50-year-old woman to escape the bus. Bassnett continued to command the traffic for about one hour after the first-aid car arrived in the scene.
A related person-in-charge of the Chinese Consulate-General in Auckland indicated that the "The initial information we received was the relatively strong side wind at that time."
Call for a seat belt to be worn
After the accident, police said it was impossible to determine whether passengers were wearing seat belts. However, the incident rekindled calls from road safety activists for the mandatory use of seat belts on buses.
"All buses at speeds of more than 50 kilometres per hour should be equipped with a safety belt and force the passengers to wear safety belts. The bus is actually a very safe way to travel in comparison to the car. While the vehicle is driving at a low speed, such as in the vicinity of a city, it is not realistic to require a passenger to fasten the seat belt. But for buses running on the highway, it is necessary to protect the passengers in the event of a crash." Matthew-Wilson, editor of Dog and Lemon
He also said that the "There`s blood on the government`s hand. If the bus`s passengers were wearing a seat belt, they might still be alive."
According to the Land Transport Rules: Seatbelt and Seatbelt Anchorage Point 2002 (Land Transport Rule: Seatbelts and Seatbelt Anchorages 2002), all vehicles except heavy passenger cars must have seatbelts in all locations.
It is reported that the "In New Zealand, bus travel is usually the safest way to travel. Only one passenger death or injured was found in every million hours of travel. In contrast, the number of deaths or injuries caused by the death or injury of the motorcycle (196), followed by the number of casualties of the bicycle, the driver of the car and the passenger of the car. Less than 2 per cent of all the deaths and injuries were related to the bus."
