What a terrible day.

Speedboat death toll rises to 4 after bodies found

By Lu Feiran and Cai Wenjun  |   2012-4-6  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION 

I returned to work after a 3 day holiday only to learn of a horrific accident that happened during the holiday  You can read about it in the article below.  It has really affected me as one of the freshman students who perished was a student of mine.  I cannot imagine the heartache and pain the parents must be feeling, I feel such a loss and sadness.   Please pray for the parents, friends and families who have suffered this loss.

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THE bodies of two students missing after a speedboat accident on Taihu Lake in Suzhou were found yesterday, bringing the total death toll to four. They were found about 100 meters from the accident site.

Three students who were injured are being treated at Shanghai's Ruijin Hospital.

The Shanghai Tourism Administration said the students who died were three freshmen from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and a female post-graduate student from the East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai who was working as a part-time tour guide.

On Wednesday, the students' speedboat collided with a cable behind a cargo ship which was being used to tow another vessel. "It happened all of a sudden," said Peng Zifeng, one of the injured. "I heard a big bang, and then the speedboat was thrown into the air. I felt being knocked by something hard, and lost consciousness."

Peng said that when he woke up, most of the people on the boat had been thrown into the water. There had been eight on board, including the guide and the skipper. The guide was lying beside him with blood all over her face. When the boat reached shore it was found that two students were missing.

Peng said that no one on the boat had been wearing a life jacket. Before boarding, they asked whether they needed them but the boat owner said it was not necessary.

Two of the injured students, who were also from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, suffered skull fractures and one of them had a spinal injury.

The third student left hospital in the morning after a checkup, but as he complained of a headache later, he was readmitted. Doctors feared the possibility of a cerebral hemorrhage.

"They are in a stable condition," said Zhang Mili, a hospital official. "We will carry out further checks and treatment. So far no surgery has been arranged."

The first 48 hours are critical after a head injury and if there are no complications the three are expected to go home in one or two weeks. The skipper is in a stable condition in a Suzhou hospital.

Yesterday, the Suzhou Maritime Bureau said the owner of the speedboat should bear main responsibility of the accident.

"Speedboats don't have a fixed route between the two islands the students went to," said Zhou Baoqing, an official with the bureau. "The route is chosen by the owner himself but he miscalculated."

The owner is being questioned by police and the accident is still under investigation.