Bus Accident in Malaysia Leaves 1 Japanese Tourist Dead

Kuala Lumpur, Oct. 25 (Jiji Press)--A bus carrying Japanese tourists had a traffic accident in Malaysia on Thursday, leaving one of them dead.

According to fire and rescue authorities in the western Malaysian state of Perak, the bus crashed into a truck on a highway in the state, injuring 11 Japanese tourists--three men and eight women in their 50s to 80s--participating in a tour organized by Japanese travel company JTB Corp.

The tourists were taken to hospital in Taiping, Perak, to receive treatment, and a woman in her 70s died. Four people in their 60s to 70s were hospitalized but were able to communicate.

A local driver and a tour guide who were also on the bus were injured and taken to hospital as well.

The Japanese tourists, set to travel across Malaysia for over a week on the JTB tour, departed Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, on Monday. They were heading to the Cameron Highlands in central Malaysia from the northern region of Penang when the traffic accident occurred.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]