After a bus carrying people to a covid quarantine site flipped over in the early hours of Sunday, killing 27 people and leaving another 20 injured, authorities in southwest China’s Guizhou Province urged an investigation team to be set up immediately to identify the cause of the accident, Global Times reported.
The authorities said that as part of the investigation, a review of the transfer of all personnel related to quarantine and traffic safety will be carried out to evade such incidents in the future, the media portal added. On Sunday, at around 2:40 am, the crash was reported to relevant departments.
Following the information, the rescue forces were immediately dispatched to the site on a highway section from Sandu to Libo in Qiannan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou. Later, at 5 p.m. the same day, 27 people had been found dead. Another 20 were injured, and they were sent to hospitals for treatment.
As per the initial investigation, it was found that the vehicle involved in the crash was transferring epidemic-related personnel to a quarantine site. Apart from a driver and a staff member, all the other 45 people were local residents. While addressing the press on Sunday, Lin Gang, Deputy Mayor of Guiyang, capital of Guizhou Province, provided further details into the matter, saying that the bus was set off at 12:10 am.
The onsite rescue operation had been completed, and the treatment of the injured and rehabilitation of the victim were organized. On Saturday evening prior to the incident, Hu Zhongxiong, Municipal Party chief of Guizhou’s capital city of Guiyang, said that quarantine transfer is an important link in epidemic prevention and control, and a centralised quarantine is particularly crucial in cutting off transmission chains .