Two Chinese tourists from Guangdong province were killed Sunday October 17 morning in Arizona after a bus carrying 11 Chinese tourists veered off a highway and rolled over several times, northern Arizona authorities said. The two tourists were pronounced dead at the scene and four others were taken to UMC Trauma Center and Sunrise Hospital in critical condition.
The accident occurred at 8:05 am near the Lake Mead National Recreation Center, according to the Mohave County Sheriff's Office. The bus, belonging to California-based TBE Bus Charter and Tours, was traveling from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon when the accident occurred, police said.
As of Tuesday, two women remain in critical condition; one woman is in serious condition and a man has been upgraded to fair condition, said hospital representatives Ashley Seymour and Danita Cohen. Four other passengers were treated with minor injuries and discharged from Kingman Medical Center and UMC Trauma Center, hospital officials said. The bus driver also suffered minor injuries.
The incident is the third tour-related crash involving Asian tourists in the United States since 2009. In January of that year, a Chinese charter bus returning from the Grand Canyon crashed along Route US-93, killing seven Chinese tourists and injuring 10. In August of this year, a tour bus with Japanese tourists rolled over on Interstate 15 in the state of Iowa, killing three and injuring 11. (Source: Kelly Chung Dawson, China Daily, Oct 19, 2010).