Bodies of four Chinese tourists killed in a bus crash in southern Utah were Identified by the authorities on Saturday. Soon after the accident occurred, the tour group dispatched its employees from China to help those injured.

The victims

Three women and one man lost their lives in the tragedy on a highway running through the red-rock landscape of southern Utah on Friday. Authorities confirm the victim’s identity as Ling Geng, 68, Xiuyun Chen, 67, Zhang Caiyu, 62, and Zhongliang Caiyu, 65. They were all from Shanghai, China. The victims were part of the 29-tourist group with one leader.  

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According to recent reports, the victims came from Shanghai and the nearby provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Heilongjiang and the tour leader came from Hebei Province, near Beijing. Five passengers were critical, on Friday night, authorities are afraid that the death toll might rise. The incident left all 31 passengers injured. Twelve to fifteen on board were in critical condition soon after the crash.

The authorities have informed that not everyone was wearing a seatbelt, as is common in tour buses. The Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism urged the travel agency, Shanghai Zhuyuan International Travel Agency, to spare no effort in rescuing the injured and properly handle the follow-up matters. 

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The bus driver wasn't intoxicated

Several phone calls to the travel agency rang unanswered on Sunday morning. Lu Yong, the travel agency’s general manager, told a media channel that the agency’s American partners sent 10 of its staff members to the hospital where the injured were admitted, to help them communicate with doctors and police authorities. Seven relatives of the victims were expected to leave for the United States on Monday or Tuesday with travel agency staff and officials from the culture and tourism bureau. 

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The tragedy took place on the 16th day of the trip, including visits Yellowstone National Park, Salt Lake City, and Las Vegas. They were to fly to the East Coast after the western U.S. stops. The driver, an American citizen, survived and told the authorities that he yanked the steering wheel to put the bus back onto the road, the momentum sent the bus into a rollover crash. According to the police, the driver didn’t appear to be intoxicated but was still investigating his condition as well as any possible mechanical problems. 

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(With AP inputs)