A public memorial service was held on Friday in the northeast China coastal city of Dalian to mourn 23 victims killed in a fatal tour bus fire in Taiwan.
More than 100 people, including senior officials of the city, representatives from the victims' hometowns, tourism companies and the media, participated in a ritual held at Dalian Funeral Home in Dalian, Liaoning Province.
The provincial committee of the Communist Party of China and the provincial government sent a message of condolences to express their deep sympathy to the families and relatives of the deceased.
A bus carrying a tour group from Dalian crashed into a highway barrier and caught fire near Taiwan's Taoyuan Airport on July 19 as the tourists were en route to the airport for their flight home. All 26 people on board, including a local driver and a local tour guide, were killed.
The relatives and members of a work group from Dalian handling the accident returned to Dalian from Taiwan on Tuesday, together with the ashes of the 23 victims. The relatives of another victim, a citizen of Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, were scheduled to leave Taipei for Harbin with his ashes on Thursday.
The driver of the bus was confirmed to have been driving under the influence of alcohol, Taiwan authorities said Friday. Tests showed his blood alcohol level was 215 mg per 100 ml, said local prosecutors.
On Sunday, investigators also found "gasoline components" in burnt plastic containers in the driver's compartment and the baggage area of the bus.
