A bus accident has killed two and injured 15 Hong Kong tourists in Guilin, a scenic spot in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.  

The accident happened at about 10:00 AM Friday.

All the injured but one have been sent to nearby hospitals for treatment. Medical workers rushed to the accident spot to give an operation on the one who could not be moved because of the severe injury on the head.

The tour bus carrying 18 tourists from Hong Kong, three tour guides and one driver, fell from a bridge on its way from Guilin to its neighboring county of Longsheng. Over-speeding was blamed for the accident.

The dead were a 43-year-old husband and a 33-year-old wife. Their identifications are under further confirmation.

The Hong Kong Immigration Department is contacting relatives of the tour members. According to a HKSAR government spokesperson, three immigration officers are on their way to Guilin; and upon their arrival, they will establish the needs of the injured and provide every possible assistance to the affected residents and their families. The Social Welfare Department will also provide assistance to those who are in need of their service.

Also on Friday morning a bus-truck collision on the No. 110 national highway in Changping District of Beijing killed five tourists and injured 24 others. The dead include two Hong Kong people -- a 43-year-old father and his 12-year-old son. 

At 10:15 AM, a bus with dozens of passengers aboard driving from east to west to a skating center collided at the Tailingyuan crossroads with a truck carrying coal, which was driving from north to south.

The accident aroused great concern of officials of the Beijing municipal government, some of whom rushed to the spot to direct the rescue work.

(Xinhua News Agency February 12, 2005)