Another tourist group from Shanghai has been involved in a bus accident in the United States, just days after six Chinese tourists were killed in a bus crash in Arizona.

A China Eastern Airline official leads relatives of the Chinese victims of the Arizona bus crash to their flight this afternoon. Thirteen relatives caught Flight MU1183 to Los Angeles. A second group of relatives will depart tomorrow.[Photo: Shanghai Daily]

The bus carrying 16 tourists who started their trip from Shanghai was hit from behind by a container truck in Philadelphia today (local time) but there were no deaths, according to news website Xinmin.cn.

One of the passengers, surnamed Lu, told Xinmin.cn the driver was making an illegal turn when hit by the truck.

Lu's wife Yu was taken to a hospital in Virginia after she complained of chest pain, as was a man surnamed Chen, reportedly with bruising to the waist.

The female group leader, identified as Chen, had a slight injury to her forehead while other passengers who felt unwell demanded medical check-ups in Washington DC.

The Texas-based Galaxy Travel, which handled the travel group involved in the Arizona bus crash, was also in charge of this group in the west of the country, but their journey in Pennsylvania was arranged by another travel agency.

Xinmin.cn reported that the Shanghai branch of China International Travel Service Ltd organized the tour.

Meanwhile, the first group of family members of the victims of the Arizona accident departed Shanghai for the US today and the second group will fly to Las Vegas tomorrow.

Scott Walker, the US consul general in Shanghai, told Xinmin.cn that they had issued visas to most family members who wanted to travel and both governments were making plans to send home the deceased.

Seven people including the group guide were killed and 10 were injured when a bus carrying 17 people to the Great Canyon overturned on Friday night. Four of those who died and seven of the injured are from Shanghai.

(Shanghai Daily February 4, 2009)