Time 12:57 (UTC+8) Deaths 26 | Location Taoyuan, Taiwan Property damage Bus destroyed | |
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Date 19 July 2016 (2016-07-19) Outcome All 26 people onboard were killed | ||
The 2016 Taoyuan bus fire occurred on the ROC National Road No. 2, in the 2nd Taoyuan City Great Park section. The bus that was involved was carrying Chinese tourists. At 12:57 on July 19, 2016, on State Road at the 2nd West Park section of the convoy of red coral tour, a bus with the license plate number 197-EE collided with a guardrail, and a fire started and killed all 26 people on board the bus. This was the most serious bus accident in Taiwan that occurred in 2016. An investigation found out that the bus driver had purposefully crashed after dousing the bus with gasoline and lighting it on fire.
Contents
Details
During a tour at 12:57, the bus was passing through the State Road II, 4.2 km to the west of the large garden sections of the city. Here a fire was seen on the front of the vehicle. The "rickety" bus was located on the inside lane of the road for quite some time, or 2.8 to 2.9 kilometers. The bus then suddenly lost control, and the whole vehicle hit a roadside fence. Policemen with hand-held extinguishers started smashing windows, trying to rescue youths trapped in the burning vehicle. The fire lasted for about half an hour. Heavy smoke quickly filled the confined space of the vehicle, causing everyone located inside the vehicle, including Su Mingcheng, a Taiwanese tour bus driver, tour guide Zheng Kun Wen, as well as 24 Chinese mainland membership visitors to be burnt to death on the spot, even though they had a chance to escape. Hot smoke and other toxic gases burnt and choked people to death, and multiple burnt corpses were stacked on top of each other five rows after the escape door. The door was locked and passengers did not know how to operate the built-in lock. The door was severing barrier grip, unable to open. The vehicle was burned, and the fire charred corpses, created charcoal, and burnt bodies to a skeleton.
The 37 operating buses had previously had smoke and fire problems, although this is only the second vehicle to be completely destroyed in an accident.
Investigation
Initial investigations revealed that the escape door lock had a built-in lock, so you could not push open the door to escape. This is a major reason for fatal accidents in Taiwan. Investigator's initial impression of the cause of the fire was a wire from a short circuit and friction. Further the vehicles transformer voltage, originally 24 volts, had an unauthorized boost to 110 volts. The transformer powered the water dispenser, refrigerator, sockets, etc. Whether or not the fire was due to voltage instability caused by a short circuit was still to be investigated.
Because of the tour company's low-fare low-cost group, and more shopping to fill commission expenses and control costs, they could not afford to meet the safety standards.
On July 29, the driver remained in the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office and test results showed that driver had before suspected of drunk driving. It ccould not be ruled out of the possibility of self-immolation. The possibility emerged of a murder-suicide by arson.
In addition, Su Mingcheng also broke the news on October 11, 2013 when guiding a group of mainland tourists. During the tour, in the Hualien City a sexual assault on a female sexual occurred, and the Hualien District Court of First Instance sentenced him to 5 years in prison. He appealed and a second trial occurred on June 24, 2016.
September 10, the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office concluded its investigation, and found Su Mingcheng guilty of premeditated arson and self-immolation. His family had long been aware of his want to commit suicide.
Passengers
Two crew were killed including a tour guide and the driver, who deliberately caused the incidents. The rest of the deceased were mainland Chinese tourists.