The last batch of 400 tourists arrived safely in the city of Beihai on Wednesday morning from Weizhou Island, a sightseeing spot in Beibu Bay, 66 kilometers off the coast of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Strong winds swept the seas near the island beginning Tuesday morning, postponing the departure of two passenger boats from Beihai. They were scheduled to return the tourists on Tuesday afternoon, according to Xinhua News Agency's May 7 report.

Another vessel, the Beibu Bay No. 2, which has a maximum passenger capacity of 400, was stranded after more than 1,000 people clambered aboard in their rush to leave the island.

The local government sent other boats to rescue the passengers. The first rescue vessel reached the island at around 10 PM on Tuesday and returned with about 300 tourists. Several hundred others spent the night on the island and were picked up early the next day.

Beihai Vice Mayor Chen Chengcai apologized to the trapped tourists on Wednesday morning after they reached Beihai, promising them compensation of at least 1,000 yuan (US$120) each.

(China Daily May 8, 2004)