Three Gorges scenic area
Three Gorges scenic area
At least three Taiwanese tourists were killed and two injured in a mudslide in the Three Gorges scenic area in China's Hubei Province Sunday morning, according to the Taipei-based Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF).

The five people were part of a 45-member tour group organized by a travel agency in Taipei, the SEF said in a statement, noting that it has informed the Mainland Affairs Council and its Chinese counterpart -- the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits -- of the fatal accident.

The SEF said and it has formed a "1015 task force" to help with the aftermath of the accident and it has been coordinating with the Tourism Bureau and relevant authorities in Taiwan and China in hopes of extending necessary assistance to the victims as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, rescue crews were continuing searching for survivors in the location of the mudslide, the SEF said.