A man and three women killed Friday in a tour bus crash near Bryce Canyon National Park were identified Saturday.
Ling Geng, 68; Xiuyun Chen, 67; Zhang Caiyu, 62; and Zhongliang Caiyu, 65, were killed in the crash, the Utah Highway Patrol said. All were from Shanghai.
Intermountain Healthcare said 12 other victims of the crash remained hospitalized Saturday morning — down from 15 Friday night. Earlier Friday, 17 people were in hospitals for treatment.
There were 31 people aboard a bus full of Chinese tourists heading to Bryce Canyon National Park on State Road 12 on Friday when the bus’s driver veered off the road and overcorrected, causing the bus to roll on the stretch of road in rural Garfield County and land on a guardrail.
Photos show the bus — operated by the California-based company America Shengjia Inc. — was torn open and crushed in places, with passengers’ luggage strewn on the road.
This photo provided by the Utah Highway Patrol shows a tour bus carrying Chinese-speaking tourists after it crashed near Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah, killing at least four people and critically injuring multiple others, Friday, Sept. 20, 2019. (Utah Highway Patrol via AP)
Four died, and five were found in critical condition. The remaining 22, including the driver, all needed some kind of medical attention, UHP said.
The Chinese Embassy tweeted condolences to the victims and their families on Saturday, adding that they “have mobilized our personnel and resources to assist them and all other Chinese nationals involved in this accident.”
The embassy also thanked U.S. first responders and volunteers who helped the injured tourists.
Utah’s Division of Corporations and Commercial Code’s business search shows the tour bus company’s Utah registration had lapsed.
A call to a phone number listed to the company was not immediately returned Saturday afternoon.
Jennifer Bolton, spokeswoman for the Utah Department of Commerce, which oversees the corporations and commercial code division, said the registration was just a “name reservation” — not a business license, and doesn’t mean the company was prohibited from operating in Utah.
Troopers have not yet determined the cause of the crash, but are investigating if speed, intoxication or distraction played a role.
Spokesman Sgt. Nick Street said the driver was cooperating with police.
UHP officials were scheduled to meet with National Transportation and Safety Board representatives on Saturday. The federal agency announced Friday they were sending 10 agents to investigate the crash.
Federal authorities are expected to release more information on the crash Sunday, UHP said.
