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International SOS Evacuates Chinese Tourists Injured in Swedish Bus Crash

2011-08-01 09:56 1375

BEIJING, Aug.1, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- On June 10th in central Sweden, a Chinese tourist bus crashed, injuring 23 passengers, mostly 70-year-old retired professors from People’s University in Beijing. The bus had been taking the tourists from Finland to Copenhagen when it ran off the road near the town of Arboga and flipped over on its side. Among the 23 tourists injured, four people suffered fractures and sustained serious injuries from the crash.


International SOS escorts an elderly Chinese tourist back to China at the aftermath of the accident

A crisis management team was formed with International SOS to provide immediate medical assistance and support to the injured tourists. International SOS activated both the London and Beijing Alarm Centers to facilitate cross border medical coordination and closely monitor the conditions of the injured tourists. International SOS also collaborated with the Chinese Embassy in Sweden to manage the logistics of the medical evacuation for the four seriously injured tourists.

Language barriers further challenged the rescue efforts. Through the coordination of the International SOS Alarm Center, a Chinese national doctor from China and a Swedish-speaking coordinator from the United Kingdom were sent to Sweden to provide on-the-ground support. Days later, the Swedish upon discharge from local hospitals, International SOS made arrangements with local hotels to provide patients with proper accommodation.

As the conditions of the seriously injured stabilized, International SOS tailored the medical evacuation plans for the patients according to their different conditions. Resources were pulled to coordinate with Swedish, French, and Chinese airlines, as well as the ground support logistics, in order to ensure the tourists a safe trip home. Under close monitoring by International SOS doctors and nurses, the four injured tourists were safely evacuated back to China by the end of June.  

As China emerges as one of the largest outbound tourism countries, thousands of Chinese tourists are traveling the world every day. With International SOS’ more than 20 year presence in China and the in-depth knowledge accumulated serving Chinese customers, International SOS is able to provide timely assistance and support to its members wherever and whenever they need it.

About International SOS

International SOS (http://www.internationalsos.com) is the world’s leading international healthcare, medical and security assistance, and concierge services company. Operating in over 70 countries, International SOS provides integrated medical, clinical, security, and customer care solutions to organizations with international operations. A global team of over 8,000 employees led by 970 full-time physicians and 200 security specialists provides services including planning, preventative programs, in-country expertise and emergency response to 66 percent of the Fortune Global 500 companies.

Source: International SOS
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