U.S. tour bus hits rock cut Highway 401, injures 24 including Chinese tourists

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Two dozen people were grievously hurt, four with life-threatening injuries when a U.S. bus carrying tourists from China crashed on Highway 401 outside of Prescott, Ontario, in Canada on Monday afternoon.

Constable Suzanne Runciman who is the spokesperson for the Prescott branch of the Ontario Provincial police mentioned in an early evening briefing that four people sustained ‘life threatening injuries’ while 20 others has less serious injuries.

The cause of the bus crash is currently being investigated.

Runciman asserted that the coach was the only vehicle involved in the incident. The bus had struck a rock cut after it left the road and this impacted the passenger side. Most of the bus windows and also the front windscreen appeared to have shattered and blown out.

The bus had been carrying 37 Chinese tourists travelling from Ottawa to Toronto smashed inside a rock cut along Highway 401 around 2.45 p.m. as per the Ontario Provincial Police.

Suzanne Runciman feels that the passengers were badly injured owing to the sheer force of the impact of the accident.

Paramedics were immediately called to the scene from various neighbouring municipalities. A spokesperson for the Brockville General Hospital mentioned that it had received five patients in critical condition and transferred a sixth patient to Kingston through an Ornge air ambulance.

The Ottawa Hospital received one patient in critical condition and another two who were in serious but stable condition.

The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa said it had just become aware of the crash.

The embassy said in an email that they have been following closely this accident and very much concerned about the conditions of the injured passengers and that they would contact the Canadian side for more information.

The bus is operated by Union Tour Express, a company based out of Prescott, Mass.

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