24 Chinese tourists wounded in bus crash in Canada

Two dozen people were hurt, at least four with life-threatening injuries, when a US tour bus carrying 37 Chinese tourists crashed on Highway 401 outside of Prescott, Ontario on Monday afternoon.

According to Ontario provincial police, the crash occurred at 2:45 pm while the bus was traveling from Ottawa to Toronto on Highway 401, Ontario's main expressway, when it veered off the pavement and smashed into a rock embankment near Prescott, about 60 miles southwest of Ottawa.

Const. Suzanne Runciman, spokesperson for the Prescott branch of the Ontario provincial police, said passengers were injured by the force of the impact.

"The bus hit a rock cut area, therefore everybody on the passenger side of the bus would be in close proximity to that rock cut," she said.

While the cause of the crash was still under investigation, Runciman said the coach was the only vehicle involved. The bus hit a rock cut after it left the road, impacting the passenger side. Most of the windows as well as the front windscreen appeared to have been shattered and blown out.

The Paramedic Service tweeted that "Multiple patients without vital signs," adding patients had been sent to Brockville General Hospital. A hospital representative said: "We have received five patients as a result of the Hwy 401 accident near Prescott, Ontario. Each are in critical condition. We have a Mandarin translator on-site to support them."

Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne tweeted shortly after the bus crash, saying ?"As we wait to hear more about the situation, our thoughts are with everyone hurt in the crash, and the first responders who rushed to the scene to help."

The Chinese embassy in Ottawa tweeted the embassy and consulate-general in Toronto "are following closely this accident and very concerned about conditions of the injured passengers. We are contacting the Canadian side for more information."

Aidan Liang, the manager at bus operator Union Tour Express, a Massachusetts-based company, said the group was on a 10-day tour that began in Washington, DC, on May 29. The trip, set to include a stop in Toronto, was planned to end Friday.

It was said that the driver of the bus had a year of experience with driving buses.