One dead, seven injured in Nantou bus crash

CAUTIOUS: Bus tours in the Sun Link Sea Forest Recreation Area have been suspended until the cause of the bus crash has been determined, the Tourism Administration said

• Staff writer, with CNA

One person died and seven were injured yesterday after a shuttle bus traveling through a Nantou County forest recreation area drove off a mountain road and plunged 20m into a valley, local authorities said.

The Nantou County Fire Department said it received a call at 12:15pm about a bus carrying eight people that had crashed during a tour of Sun Link Sea Forest Recreation Area in Nantou’s Jhushan Township (竹山).

Upon reaching the crash site, first responders sent seven passengers who had sustained light-to-severe injuries, along with a 66-year-old male passenger who was in cardiac arrest, to hospital for emergency treatment.

The male passenger, surnamed Chen (陳), sustained injuries to his head and was later declared dead, Chu Shang Show Chwan Hospital said.

The driver of the bus was not injured in the crash, the cause of which is under investigation.

The bus had departed the recreation area’s visitor center at about noon, traveling toward Songlong Rock Waterfall when the incident occurred, the park said.

Initial reports indicated that the bus might have lost control after striking a cliff face.

The Tourism Administration in a statement said that bus tours in the forest recreation area have been suspended until the cause of the crash has been determined.