Two Germans 'stable' after highway crash

The condition of two Germans seriously injured in a highway accident that claimed six lives has been classified as stable, according to a Tianjin hospital.

The accident occurred on Monday when a tourist bus ploughed into the back of a truck on the Beijing-Tianjin highway. Five German tourists and the Chinese bus driver were killed.

Fourteen others were injured, and of these, three were described as having life-threatening injuries, multiple burns and severe fractures. Two of these have had their condition stabilized.

They were rushed to Tianjin Wuqing District People's Hospital immediately after the crash.

"The two injured Germans with severe fractures are out of danger, their condition is stable and they are conscious," a spokesperson for Tianjin Municipal People's Hospital said on Tuesday.

Tianjin No 1 Central Hospital said on Tuesday that a German male patient, with burns to more than 70 of his body, was undergoing extensive treatment.

According to Tan Ming, assistant to the dean at the Wuqing hospital, the other 11 injured victims, suffering from burns, fractures and trauma, were in stable condition.

"When they were sent to the hospital on Monday we immediately implemented the emergency plan and gathered 50 specialist doctors and nurses for treatment," he said.

"At present, there are 11 patients who are receiving treatment in this hospital. All are stable but four remain in a serious condition," he said.

The tourist bus carrying more than 20 German tourists collided with a container truck on the highway, the Tianjin Municipal Publicity Department said.

The accident injured 14, 12 Germans and two Chinese - a tourist guide and the truck driver.

The German foreign office confirmed that the tourist group was made up of doctors from Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg, according to media reports on Tuesday.

A witness said the truck suddenly came to a halt on the highway and the bus rammed into it at around 8:30 am. The coach burst into flames.

Passengers had to smash the rear window to escape as the doors were jammed.

The German Ambassador Michael Schaefer and three staff members from the embassy visited the injured on Monday.

Schaefer expressed his condolences and grief at the accident as he waited for a detailed report.

Li Jin, deputy director of Beijing Fire Control Department said in his micro blog that fire prevention in large vehicles needed to be improved.

There were too many flammable materials in these vehicles, he said.

Zhang Yu in Tianjin contributed to this story.

zhangyan1@chinadaily.com.cn