(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-05-20 06:38

CHENGDU - The last three members of a Taiwan tourist group stranded in Sichuan arrived here safely at about 5:30 pm on Monday aboard a military helicopter.

They were part of a 14-member group stranded when the earthquake struck. The other 11 Taiwan tourists, including five aged around 75, were transported to the city at noon on Sunday.

Medical checkups showed none of them suffered serious health problems.

The 14 were trapped in a mountainous area close to the epicenter of Wenchuan county and sought shelter in a neighboring village.

Villagers offered food and they stayed on the tour bus overnight but they lost contact with their tour agencies.

Two helicopters took off at noon on Saturday after Chinese authorities tracked down their location using satellite positioning technology but bad weather forced the pilots to call off the mission.

The helicopter brought back the 11 tourists on Sunday after the three did not show up at the appointed time, said Lin Ping, an official with the Taiwan affairs office of Sichuan.

All the 14 will be under medical observation in Chengdu for a couple of days before returning to Taiwan, an official with the Taiwan-based tourist association has said.

They were reported to be the last group of tourists outside the Chinese mainland stranded in the quake-hit area.