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Chinese Embassy sends help to victims of fatal crash of Monterey Park-based tour bus in Utah

Tour bus crash Bryce Canyon
Authorities investigate the scene where four people were killed in a tour bus crash near Bryce Canyon National Park.
(Spenser Heaps / Associated Press)
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Chinese Embassy officials on Saturday said they had dispatched staffers to assist victims of a tour bus crash near Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah that killed four people and left 27 others on board critically injured.

Highway Patrol authorities believe the bus registered to America Shengjia Inc. in Monterey Park, Calif., had traveled up from Las Vegas and was en route to the park on Friday morning when it swerved and rolled onto a guard rail near a highway rest stop.

Most of the tourists on board were Mandarin-speaking older adults, authorities said, and some of them were not wearing seat belts. The driver, an American citizen, survived and was cooperating with local law enforcement authorities.

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America Shengjia could not be reached for comment.

The Chinese Embassy, in a tweet issued on Saturday, said, “We are saddened to hear about the accident in Utah involving a bus carrying Chinese tourists. We are thankful to authorities in Utah for their assistance.”

“The embassy has initiated its emergency protocols, sent personnel to the area,” it added, “and will assist victims as needed.”

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team of investigators to determine the cause of the crash, which had triggered a frantic search for Chinese speakers at a local hospital and university.

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