At about 4:00PM local time on Jan. 30th, a tour group of 20 people organized by Shanghai Donghu International Travel Service encountered a terrible bus accident in Arizona with 7 killed and 10 injured.
After receiving the report, CNTA immediately began relevant work in accordance with the Contingency Plan for Emergent Accidents with Chinese Citizens Outbound Tourism. CNTA promptly established a line of communication among the Department of Consular Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shanghai Tourism Bureau and the Los Angeles-based Tourism Office and keep in close contact with them to communicate in time. CNTA requested the Los Angeles-based Tourism Office to coordinate timely with the Chinese Embassy and Consulate in the United States to properly deal with the post-event problems. CNTA also appointed special personnel to communicate with the Department of Consular Affairs so as to coordinate the settlement of the accident. Leaders with CNTA and relevant departments made multiple phone calls to Shanghai Tourism Bureau to consult the progress and to offer relevant assistance. Presently, the related problems arising from the accident are being dealt with in an orderly manner. CNTA will inform U.S. Commerce Department about this accident where necessary.