The bus was already on fire when it rammed into the rail on a highway to Taipei’s main global airport in Taoyuan on Tuesday, reports said, citing police.
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The disaster, which occurred as the tourists were heading to the airport for their flight home, was the latest in a series that have called into question Taiwan’s safety record.
Pictures from the scene showed thick black smoke and flames engulfing the bus.
“Under normal conditions, if the driver finds the bus is on fire, he will stop the vehicle immediately”.
The bus had crashed into one of the outer lane barriers before the fire broke out.
The China Times said preliminary investigations had also found emergency door handles may have been distorted by heat from the inferno inside the bus. The others killed were the driver and a tour guide, both Taiwanese.
The tour group of 24 people – three children, 15 women and six men – was from China’s northeast city of Dalian, Taiwan’s interior ministry said.
They also kept contacts with Taiwan authorities through emergency liaison channels and started preparations to send a working team to Taiwan, according to the statement.
“At this stage it is still not clear why no passengers escaped from the bus”.
“We must quickly clarify the reasons behind the accident and thoroughly reflect on the safety of Taiwan’s public transportation infrastructure to ensure better management and safety for citizens and tourists”, Lin said.
A Chinese mainland official has expressed “strong dissatisfaction” with a serious tour-bus accident on Tuesday in Taiwan.
Meanwhile, nine mainland officials, including a director-level official from the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, arrived in Taipei to deal with the aftermath of the bus fire tragedy.
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It was the deadliest incident involving mainland tourists in Taiwan since the island opened up to mainland travelers in 2008.
