Bus driver under investigation after crash kills 1

Taipei, March 21 (CNA) A bus driver who crashed while attempting to use a scooter underpass in Kaohsiung to "save time," killing one, is being investigated for manslaughter, police said Thursday.

In a statement, the Kaohsiung Police Department's Renwu Precinct said it received a report of a vehicle crashing into a National Freeway No. 1 underpass on Shueiguan Road at around 8 p.m. Wednesday.

An 80-year-old male passenger surnamed Chou (周) was found at the scene with no vital signs and determined to be dead by first responders, while 14 injured passengers were taken to nearby hospitals, the precinct said.

The bus driver, a 56-year-old man surnamed Teng (鄧), told police he had attempted to use the underpass to save time, the precinct said.

The underpass is designated for scooter traffic only and had been too small to accommodate the bus, causing the crash, police added.

Teng was driving a group of 25 tourists and a guide who were on a day trip to Alishan, and the accident happened during the return journey, according to the precinct.

The Highway Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said in a statement Thursday that Teng had three traffic violations in the past six years, including not paying attention to the surroundings when reversing a vehicle, not following traffic signs and illegal parking.

Meanwhile, the tour bus, provided by Feng Mann Tour Bus Co., was manufactured in November 2021 and passed an inspection on Oct. 6, 2023, the bureau said.

The bureau also said it had ordered Feng Mann to properly handle compensation matters for the injured passengers, and that company staff had gone to the hospital to offer condolences.