Bodies of bus crash victims return to Russia

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-24 15:43

HARBIN -- The bodies of two Russian tourists killed in a bus crash in Northeast China on Friday were returned home at the Suifenhe border inspection station in Heilongjiang Province on Sunday.

A bus carrying 22 Russian tourists veered and overturned at a crossroad of Tielinghe Town, Mudanjiang City, at about 4:40 am, five hours after the driver drove through the night from Hunchun City, Jilin Province, to the border city of Suifenhe. It was there where tourists were scheduled to finish their China tour and return to Russia.

The dead were identified as 40-year-old Anokhin Dmitry and 13-year-old Tarasenko Anastasia.

Two people remained in hospital in Mudanjiang on Saturday morning after 18 others were told they could return home.

The long-distance trip was scheduled to have two drivers working in rotation. However, there was only one driver aboard, police said.

Fatigue was found to have caused the crash. The driver, who was under police detention, admitted he had been drowsy while driving.