Taiwan

Relatives of missing mainlanders make life insurance claims

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-11-02 21:14

ZHUHAI - Relatives of the mainland tourists who went missing in Taiwan's typhoon-triggered rock slides 13 days ago, are filing insurance claims in Taiwan, official of Zhuhai culture sports and tourism bureau, Liang Jinyuan said Tuesday.

Nineteen tourists from southern coastal city of Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, went missing after their bus was hit by a landslide on Suhua Highway, northeast Taiwan's Ilan County as the fierce typhoon Megi lashed the island on October 21.

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"They have filed death certificate applications, and will leave for Guangdong after going through all the legal procedures required to make insurance claims," said Liang, referring to the 36 relatives who arrived in Taiwan last week.

Compensation of up to 5.4 million yuan ($808,057) will be paid out for each missing person by two Taiwan property and casualty companies-Union Insurance and Fubon, as the tour organizer- Taipei-based Chuang Yi Travel Agency has casualty coverage and passenger insurances with the two companies.

Thirteen of the tourists are clients of the Zhuhai subsidiary of China Life Insurance Company. The exact amount of compensation for each tourist has yet to be worked out, said a China Life official who refused be named.

Nineteen mainland tourists, one mainland tourist guide and a Taiwanese bus driver were on the bus when accident happened. All the 20 mainland victims are from Guangdong Province.

The bus was believed to have tumbled off the road and plunged into the sea. Only a few mangled parts of the bus were found by searchers after the accident.

One of the 20 mainland tourists, Gong Yan, was confirmed dead on October 28 as her body part was recovered from the water off the coast of northeastern Taiwan and her identity was determined through DNA tests.

Gong was a staff of the Zhuhai subsidiary of China Life. Gong's family is to receive more than 800,000 yuan from China Life, said the official of China Life.

People were evacuated from the flood-hit areas in Ilan County, Taiwan, on October 21 as Typhoon Megi arrived. Multiple mudslides caused by the typhoon stranded other vehicles carrying about 400 people in Taiwan, who were eventually rescued.

Typhoon Megi made landfall on the southeast coast of the Chinese mainland on October 23, affecting nearly 650,000 people and destroying 500 houses. About 270,000 people had to be evacuated.

"The weather these days in Ilan County is still bad, as we have had heavy rains and even a small earthquake," said Liang Jinyuan.

"But the rescuers are still searching for the missing tourists although the chances of their survival is extremely slim," Liang said.