Han Ximin

    ximhan@126.com

    THE death toll of the car accident at Shenzhen International Airport has risen to nine.

    Shenzhen health commission said in a news release yesterday that ambulances took 22 victims to hospitals for treatment. One of them died on the way, while three others died after arriving.

    Among those who were injured, nine were in serious conditions and some of them have been transferred to other hospitals. Nine people who suffered light injuries are still receiving treatment and four were discharged after treatment.

    The driver, surnamed Yang, was among the dead.

    Yang, 24, a native of Chong-qing, left her car to save a victim who was forced to the edge of a fence by her car and the two fell to the ground from the elevated bridge, according to a cleaner at the airport surnamed Jiang, who witnessed the accident.

    Yang allegedly lost control of her vehicle after a honking car made her nervous. She ran over several pedestrians, killing five at the scene Sunday afternoon and injuring 27 others.

    An initial investigation showed that some 30 people were standing beside the vehicle lane fence to view takeoffs and landings of planes and take photos when the car rammed into them.

    Pedestrians are not allowed to stand beside the fence, which is considered part of the driveway.

    Huang Jiangtao, a witness who narrowly escaped the accident, said he did not realize pedestrians were banned from the area because there were neither signs nor staff members there to caution them.

    Huang escaped from the accident as he had left to find a place to answer a phone call. Ten minutes later, when he came back, he found dozens of people lying on the ground dead or with injuries.

    Chen, one of the victims, and three other family members were at the scene when the accident happened.

    Chen suffered a fractured left leg while his son suffered burns to his back. Chen’s 3-year-old daughter was still at an ICU for further observation.

    Airport authorities said their guards patrol the area and disperse people on a daily basis.

    The authorities said they would extend fences, add signs and increase patrols to avoid similar incidents.