'Duck' craft collides with car, police called in after tourists demand refunds
When a 'duck' craft collided with a private-hire vehicle on Wednesday (July 26) afternoon, a shouting match between several tourists and staff from a tour operator ensued.
The police were even called to mediate in the heated dispute, reported Shin Min Daily News.
An eyewitness, surnamed Hu, told the Chinese daily that a black car had collided with the amphibious vehicle near the Esplanade at 6 Raffles Boulevard.
The 55-year-old security guard added that police cars and an ambulance arrived shortly thereafter.
Operated by City Tours, the Dukw (colloquially called 'duck') craft is a revamped Vietnam War-era vehicle that brings tourists on a sightseeing tour on both land and water.
When a reporter from the Chinese evening daily reached the accident scene, she saw a heated dispute involving the tourists on the vehicle – more than 20 of them – and staff from the tour operator.
The tourists appeared to be dissatisfied that their sightseeing tour had come to an abrupt end, with some demanding compensation from the staff.
The reporter also noticed that police officers had to mediate in the conflict.
One of the affected tourists, 44-year-old Zhang, shared that the tour was supposed to begin at 2.30pm.
But the accident caused the trip to be delayed by an hour, he said, adding that his time on the vehicle was also shortened.
"We only had five minutes on the water," the unhappy tourist said.
Another tourist, surnamed Guo, expressed her hope that the tour operator would provide a clear compensation plan.
"There were so many people talking at the same time," she said. "It was so unpleasant since they had to speak loudly."
Responding to AsiaOne's queries on Friday (July 28), the police said that a 47-year-old male car driver was conveyed conscious to the hospital.
Police investigations are ongoing, they added.
Tour operator City Tours told Shin Min that out of the 22 tourists affected, 12 have received a full refund.
The remaining tourists have arranged to go on the sightseeing tour at another time.
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chingshijie@asiaone.com
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