11 wounded in fatal Tibet pile-up recovering

All 11 people injured in a three-car pile-up that sent a tour bus tumbling off a cliff in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Saturday are in stable conditions under treatment, local authorities said on Sunday.

The regional and local governments mobilized a rescue team to force their way into the smashed-up vehicles and carry the people out. After hours of work, all 55 people involved in the accident were found, and 44 of them were confirmed dead.

All the injured were rushed to receive emergency treatment in three hospitals in Lhasa.

The 55-seat bus carrying 50 people fell off a cliff more than 10 meters in height after crashing into an SUV and a pick-up truck at about 4:25 p.m. on Saturday on the No. 318 National Highway in Nyemo County.

The bus passengers were mainly tourists from regions including Anhui, Shanghai, Shandong and Hebei.

Four people were in the SUV and one was in the truck.

The crash occurred on an accident-prone road section extending along the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, on high mountains with multiple sudden turns.

The road section had a speed limit. Though no investigation results have been released yet, it appears speeding or dangerous lane changing may have been the cause of the tragedy, said a rescuer.

The bus was severely deformed and flipped onto its back after breaking through the road's guardrail and falling off the cliff. The SUV and pick-up truck were also seriously damaged.

Holding them accountable for the accident, police have detained managers of the Shengdi Vehicle Tour Company, which owned the coach, and the Feixiang Travel Agency, which organized the tour.

The regional government has meanwhile held an emergency meeting, ordering a general overhaul of road and travel safety across the region.

The State Administration of Work Safety on Sunday sent an investigation team to Tibet to investigate the accident.