The bodies of the two Malay tourists killed in Monday's highway accident will soon be flown back home at the request of their relatives.

The two victims were Aw Kam Thing, aged 56 and Ng Yuen Imm, aged 62. Their relatives have arrived in Hezhou, a city in the eastern part of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and are going through required procedures for sending back home the dead bodies of their beloved ones with assistance from relevant government departments, according to Ren Shanping, deputy director of the civil affairs bureau of Hezhou City.

Going through the necessary steps will take some time because currently, only civil affairs departments in Nanning, the regional capital of Guangxi, and Guilin, a scenic city in the same region, are authorized to handle such affairs concerning foreign nationals, explained Ren.

A bus with 26 tourists aboard, including 23 Malay tourists, all of Chinese origin, overturned near the Gupo Mountain Scenic Zone in Hezhou City around 11 a.m. on Monday in Hezhou City, killing three people on the spot and injuring 23 others.

Two Malay tourists and the Chinese bus driver were identified to be among the killed, sources from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Regional Bureau of Work Safety said.

The injured, except for one Malay tourist who was slightly injured in the highway accident and was discharged from hospital after some treatment, are receiving medical treatment in local hospitals of Hezhou City. The Malay tourist discharged from the hospital has checked in at a local hotel.

The cause of the accident is being investigated.

(Xinhua News Agency March 9, 2006)