Shanghai medical workers killed
By Cai Wenjun |
June 14, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE death toll from a pleasure boat accident on a lake in southwest China's Tibet has risen to six - five of them tourists from Shanghai.
The bodies of the last missing tourist and the skipper were found on Saturday, rescuers said yesterday.
The bodies were recovered from Pangong Tso Lake in Tibet's Ngari Prefecture, a spokesman for the rescue team from a traffic unit under the People's Armed Police Force, told Xinhua news agency.
The boat carrying 10 tourists and a skipper capsized about 4pm last Thursday. All of them were thrown into the icy water and five were quickly rescued and not badly hurt.
A dream Tibetan holiday turned into a deadly nightmare for four female medical professionals, two doctors and two nurses, from Shanghai's Huashan Hospital.
The lake accident involved the four from the neurosurgery department and a man who had just become married to one of the nurses.
A six-member delegation had flown to Tibet to identify bodies and help deal with follow-up issues, the hospital said yesterday.
Dai Ruiming, a hospital official, said yesterday the delegation was still in transit.
"Since our officials haven't seen the bodies, we can't release more detailed information," he said. "No family members went to Tibet with our officials."
The skipper was from southwest China's Sichuan Province.
Late June, July and August is the peak season for Tibet tours and tourism experts warned people to use authorized agencies when making holiday plans.
"Ngari Prefecture is not a regular destination organized by travel agencies due to its high altitude," said Wang Jiping, manager of Shanghai Odyssey Travel Co.
Wang's firm arranges for 5,000 to 6,000 people from Shanghai to visit Tibet annually.
"Yachting on Tibetan lakes is also not recommended since many lakes are considered sacred by local people," Wang said. "Tibet is different because of its limited resources and high altitude."
Self-arranged tours were ill-advised, Wang said.
Pangong Tso Lake is at an altitude of 4,242 meters and covers 600 square kilometers. The area is known for strong winds for at least 300 days of the year.
The lake is popular because of its rare migratory birds.
The bodies of the last missing tourist and the skipper were found on Saturday, rescuers said yesterday.
The bodies were recovered from Pangong Tso Lake in Tibet's Ngari Prefecture, a spokesman for the rescue team from a traffic unit under the People's Armed Police Force, told Xinhua news agency.
The boat carrying 10 tourists and a skipper capsized about 4pm last Thursday. All of them were thrown into the icy water and five were quickly rescued and not badly hurt.
A dream Tibetan holiday turned into a deadly nightmare for four female medical professionals, two doctors and two nurses, from Shanghai's Huashan Hospital.
The lake accident involved the four from the neurosurgery department and a man who had just become married to one of the nurses.
A six-member delegation had flown to Tibet to identify bodies and help deal with follow-up issues, the hospital said yesterday.
Dai Ruiming, a hospital official, said yesterday the delegation was still in transit.
"Since our officials haven't seen the bodies, we can't release more detailed information," he said. "No family members went to Tibet with our officials."
The skipper was from southwest China's Sichuan Province.
Late June, July and August is the peak season for Tibet tours and tourism experts warned people to use authorized agencies when making holiday plans.
"Ngari Prefecture is not a regular destination organized by travel agencies due to its high altitude," said Wang Jiping, manager of Shanghai Odyssey Travel Co.
Wang's firm arranges for 5,000 to 6,000 people from Shanghai to visit Tibet annually.
"Yachting on Tibetan lakes is also not recommended since many lakes are considered sacred by local people," Wang said. "Tibet is different because of its limited resources and high altitude."
Self-arranged tours were ill-advised, Wang said.
Pangong Tso Lake is at an altitude of 4,242 meters and covers 600 square kilometers. The area is known for strong winds for at least 300 days of the year.
The lake is popular because of its rare migratory birds.
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