Five Hong Kong women tourists were killed when a coach skidded off a road in a small town in northern Taiwan Monday afternoon.

Thirty others on the tour coach, many of whom were women visitors from Hong Kong, were injured. Some were believed to be in "serious" condition.

The coach crashed after travelling down a hill in Jiufen, a small town on the outskirts of the northeastern city of Keelung, which was near a popular tourist destination.

The coach flipped over a slope and landed on its front end on a small road.

The tourists were members of two tour groups organized by Kwan Kin Travel Services Limited, respectively on three-day and four-day tours. Monday was the second day of their programmes.

Kwan Kin said the coach was carrying 35 passengers -- 33 tourists and two workers.

They were en route to Taipei.

Reports from Taiwan put the total number of people aboard at 38, including the bus drivers.

The victims included two sisters surnamed So, aged 33 and 38, who were certified dead at the hospital, said Kwan Kin Assistant General Manager Chuck Fong. Two relatives of the sisters were also injured in the crash.

Fong said the family members of four victims arrived in Taipei late last night. A senior staff member of the travel agency also flew to Taipei last night to co-ordinate with local authorities over aftercare.

"Our most immediate task is to make sure that everybody receives proper medical care. The question of compensation will be dealt with later," Fong said at a press conference at the company's headquarters.

Fong said the passengers were taken to three nearby hospitals. Many suffered hand and leg injuries.

He denied the coach was overloaded, and indicated that rainy weather may be the cause of the crash.

Quoting their business partner in Taiwan, Fong said the driver had 30 years of experience and was in good shape. The vehicle was in normal condition.

Local police also suggested the rainy weather and low visibility may have been the cause.

The coach was moving fast down the hill and a passenger said the driver ignored his warning to slow down. The passenger was quoted as saying this by a local television station.

"Earlier, the coach hit an advertising board and the driver seemed to have a heated debate with somebody over the phone. Later when we got back to the vehicle, he drove fast and when we asked him to slow down, he ignored us. The coach then crashed," a man among the passengers told the television station.

An injured woman passenger recalled the crash was scary and chaotic. "We were like making a huge turn. The tourist guide told us to hold tight to the handrail and, no sooner, every one of us fell off our seats. Then the people rescued us," she said.

"I was very scared. Those who could move climbed out of the coach by themselves and those who couldn't were helped by others," she said, adding that she still did not know the whereabouts of her relatives.

Fong said he had no information indicating the vehicle was speeding and the company would submit a report to the Travel Industry Council (TIC) after they were able to collect more information from their Taiwan partner over the next few days.

There were a total of 37 members in the two tour groups of whom four did not join the sightseeing part to Jiufen. Fong said only 20 of the members had purchased insurance coverage through Kwan Kin and the company was liaising with the insurance company to follow up on compensation for the victims.

TIC Executive Director Joseph Tung said victims in the traffic accident could claim up to HK$180,000 from the council's emergency fund, with HK$100,000 for medical treatment, HK$40,000 for transportation and accommodation for victims' family members and, in the case of fatalities, HK$40,000 for transporting a body back home.

Tung said TIC was very concerned about the traffic accident and contacted the SAR's Immigration Department and the relevant Taiwan authorities to offer assistance. He said they had also asked Kwan Kin to provide details on the conditions of the vehicle and the driver.

Last night, two immigration officers and two medics from the SAR government also left for Taiwan to visit the injured and to offer assistance as necessary.

A spokesman said the government was highly concerned about the accident and the Constitutional Affairs Bureau had got in touch with Chung Hwa Travel Service, Taiwan's representative in the SAR, to clarify the situation and to request it to liaise with the local authorities to offer assistance to the victims and their family members as needed.

(China Daily HK Edition October 19, 2004)