Two tourists were hurt when a brawl broke out between irate
passengers and a group led by a bus driver in Beijing on Tuesday.
The scrap started at Beijing West Railway Station as the tourists, all from
Chongqing, were waiting for a bus to take them to the airport.
One of them suffered a serious head wound but is now in a stable condition
after immediate treatment.
He is still under observation in the station's hospital. The other was only
slightly hurt. The 45 tourists became angry waiting for the airport shuttle bus,
which was about half an hour late.
Some of them refused to get on it when it did arrive and insisted on being
paid compensation, said Wan, a manager with the Capital Travel Service, an
organization affiliated with the China International Travel Service.
For an unknown reason, five of them then started arguing with the driver of a
mini-bus parked in the same plaza.
The driver disappeared and came back with six other men, who carried wooden
blocks and anything else they could find in the back of the mini-bus.
It was a bloody fight and the railway station plaza, which always contains
thousands of travelers, became a mess.
The tourist was then thumped on the head with a wooden block. "We have buy
travel insurance for all members of the group," said Wan. "But this case, which
was triggered by some personal argument, will not be covered."
All the tourists missed the plane because of the incident and are now staying
at a three-star hotel in Beijing.
Nine of them accepted the arrangement made by travel service agency and left
Beijing for home yesterday afternoon. The rest are still trying to get
compensation from the travel agency.
The man who was hospitalized was visited by a relative from Chongqing that
night.
There have been a few crimes committed in Beijing recently but local police
are not sounding any notes of warning.
Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau issues weekly crime tips to
residents and reminds them to be on the alert.
The most frequent crime at the moment seems to be handbag snatching.
The Beijing police have vowed to protect the life safety of its residents,
said the spokeswoman of the local police.
