Travel agency held liable for deaths

A travel agency has been ordered to pay 270,000 yuan ($43,227) to the family of a married couple who drowned during a tour of the Maldives, a district court said Thursday.

The family of the deceased couple sued the unnamed travel agency for 2.4 million yuan on the grounds that it failed to warn the couple about the perils they might face on the trip, according to a press release from the Huangpu District People's Court.

The couple booked a six-day tour to Iru Fushi Island in the Maldives from the defendant in the summer of 2010, the court said. They paid 38,000 yuan.

On the third day of the trip, the couple were each swept away in the tide while swimming in the undeveloped waters without any lifesaving equipment, the court said.

Authorities found the body of the man, surnamed He, but his wife was never seen again. A local court pronounced He's wife dead in 2011.

The plaintiffs argued that the travel agency was responsible for the couple's death because it didn't provide a guide for the tour, who presumably could've found help for the couple when they were drowning.

The agency responded that the tour package it sold the couple only provided airfare and accommodation. Their contract didn't include the service of a tour guide.

The agency also said that it warns clients about the potential dangers of outdoor activities such as diving and swimming and asks them in a supplementary contract to take responsibility for any accidents that might occur.

However, a contract the agency submitted was not signed by the couple, the court said.

The court ruled that the agency was only partially responsible for the couple's death because it failed to give them a warning tailored for tourists to the Maldives.