17 people injured in school bus accident in Taipei tunnel

Taipei, March 11 (CNA) A school bus with 26 middle school students lost control, spun around and tipped over in a tunnel on an expressway heading toward Xinyi District in Taipei, causing injuries to 16 students and the driver, local police said.

Taipei City firefighters received a report at 7:17 p.m. that a school bus carrying Kang Chiao International School students tipped over on its side in the Wenshan Tunnel on the Xinyi Expressway connecting the No. 3a Freeway to Xinyi District, Taipei police said.

A total of nine firefighting vehicles, eight ambulances and 42 people were dispatched to the scene, where a provisional health check post was established.

According to police, a total of 27 people were on the Kang Chiao middle school bus when the accident occurred, including the driver.

Of the 27, 12 were were initially thought to be uninjured and 15, including the driver, were slightly injured but fully conscious and taken to three different hospitals in Taipei to get care, police said.

In a statement later in the day, the New Taipei City Education Department said two students originally thought to have escaped the accident without incident were brought to another hospital by their parents, bringing the total number of injured to 17.

An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the accident.