All injured from NW China bus-truck crash out of danger

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-08 17:19

URUMQI - The conditions of all 12 injured from last Tuesday's bus-truck crash in northwest China's Xinjiang, which also left 22 dead, were out of danger, local official said on Monday.

"They are all recovering well and one of them has been discharged from hospital," said an official with the publicity office of Kuqa County, where the accident happened.

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According to the official, who declined to give his name, two of the four seriously-injured passengers were transferred to the No.1 People's Hospital in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and another two were sent to a hospital in the city of Korla.

"The remaining seven injured, all suffering from broken bones, are being treated at the People's Hospital of Kuqa County," said the official.

A coal truck and a bus collided head-on while traveling on National Highway 314 in Kuqa County at about 8:50 am on Tuesday, leaving 20 passengers on the bus and two people from the truck dead.

Thirteen of the 22 dead were identified and family members arrived in Kuqa to deal with the aftermath, said the official.

A police investigation showed the bus driver had attempted to pick up something that fell on the floor while driving, making the bus veer off course into the oncoming lane where it hit the truck.

Xinjiang is China's largest region. Kuqa sits on the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountain Range, which bisects Xinjiang. So far this year, there have been several fatal accidents in the region because of poor road conditions. The most recent major road accident was in Akqi, a county in Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, western Xinjiang, on August 12. Twenty-five people were killed. As a result of the accidents, the regional government ordered all traffic departments to strengthen safety examination on roads.

"The road condition in Kuqa is more worrying in winter with frequent snowstorms. Our traffic police have increased patrols along the highway and have reminded drivers of safe driving with the maps highlighting the dangerous road sections," said the official.