Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/02/14
By: Elaine Hou and Chiu Kuo-chiang
Taipei, Feb. 14 (CNA) Taiwan expressed gratitude Tuesday for China’s condolences for

A grief-stricken relative of a bus crash victim talks to reporters in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
the families of the dead and the injured in a Taipei tour bus crash a day earlier that left 33 people dead and 11 others injured.
On behalf of the government, the Cabinet-level Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said that it has extended its sympathy to the families of the victims and the injured and has been dealing with the aftermath. An investigation into the cause of the accident is also underway, it added.
In a statement, the Taiwan Affairs Office under China’s State Council said it was very concerned about the accident, and it expressed its deepest condolences to the families of the dead and sympathy for the injured.
The statement came even though China has cut off its official communication channels with Taiwan amid strained relations across the Taiwan Strait.