Bus passengers remember 'heroic' driver

The driver, surnamed Hou, a Kaohsiung resident, was carrying 31 passengers, including his wife, to visit a recreational farm in Nantou County on Sunday. When arriving at the site, Hou noticed a possible problem with the bus's brakes. He told passengers to get off the bus immediately and drove to a nearby parking lot to check it. On his way to the parking area, the brakes failed again. The bus crashed into a betel palm grove and toppled over. He was thrown out of the bus and crushed underneath.

Hou was pronounced dead after being sent to the hospital, according to the Apple Daily News.

“He saved over 30 people, it was really heroic,” a passenger was quoted as saying by the TV news channel TVBS.

Officials pointed out that luckily the driver chose to turn right into the grove, because a spa is located on the left, which was still occupied with customers, said the report.

Among the passengers saved from the accident were Hou's neighbors, who used to go out together with him and who often went with Hou on trips where he was driving. They felt sad when they heard the news and expressed gratitude to the brave driver who had saved their lives, said local media.

Hou was a safe driver and had no prior accident record. The tour bus company said that they had vehicles serviced regularly, and would have experts investigate to identify what happened to the bus, said local media.

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