Seattle tour bus that killed Indonesian student didn’t undergo repair

LOS ANGELES, United States – An amphibious tour vehicle that crashed into a bus with foreign students in Seattle, killing 5 – including one Indonesian student – did not undergo a recommended repair, the National Transportation Safety Board said.

NTSB member Earl Weener told reporters on that Ride the Ducks international, which in 2005 refurbished the Duck boat vehicle, issued a warning two years ago about a potentially dangerous problem with the axle, saying it should be fixed or monitored.

However the Duck boat involved in the September 23 crash did not undergo that repair.

The Seattle company that operates the Ride the Ducks tour issued a statement saying it was trying to determine what happened.

The NTSB’s finding came as medical authorities said that a 5th foreign student injured in the crash died on Sunday.

The victim was among 45 international students and staff from North Seattle College who were traveling aboard the bus when the Duck boat veered into oncoming traffic and slammed into them.

Four students – from Austria, China, Indonesia and Japan – died at the scene and some 50 were injured, 15 of them seriously.

The nationality of the 5th victim was not immediately available.

Witnesses said the Duck boat appeared to have a problem with its left front tire. The NTSB said last week that the vehicle’s left-front axle was “sheared off” in the accident.

The Duck name is derived from DUKW, the six-wheel amphibious vehicles used by the US army in World War II. Similar vehicles are used for tours in many US cities. – Rappler.com