One Taiwanese tourist is dead and four others injured after heavy rain triggered a landslide in a scenic area in China. The incident took place on Saturday at about 5:50pm (local time) at the Jinding Scenic Resort on Mount Emei in Sichuan Province.
Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau on Sunday confirmed that a 48-year-old woman surnamed Wu had been killed after she was hit by a falling tree. Officials say that four others who were part of the group are in hospital with head injuries.
The tourists were part of a 16-member tour group. They had been instructed to get out of a bus and walk to safety after an initial landslide made the road impassable. But a subsequent landslide then toppled a tree which fell on the group as they were walking to safety.
Taiwan’s tourism bureau said on Sunday that it has already requested assistance from the Mainland Affairs Council and the Straits Exchange Foundation. Those Taipei-based organizations are the main official and semi-official bodies in charge of relations with China.
The tourism bureau has also instructed the Taipei-based South East Travel Service Co. Ltd., which organized the tour, to handle arrangements with the family of the deceased.