MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Medical Association (PMA) president Dr. Leo Olarte, on Tuesday, confirmed the identity of the Filipino doctor killed in a car crash in China and appealed to the government to help her injured husband and children.
“Ako ay nananawagan sa ating gobyerno…na tulungan itong ating kasapi ng PMA, si Dr. Nelson Bunyi at ang kanyang misis na si Dra. Bunyi at ang kanyang dalawang anak (I am calling on the government…to help our PMA member Dr. Nelson Bunyi and his wife Dra. Bunyi and their two children),” Olarte said over radio station DZBB.
International news agencies on Monday reported that five people were killed and 38 others were injured after a sports utility vehicle allegedly ploughed into a crowd of tourists in Tiananmen Square in Beijing before it exploded. Initially thought to be an accident, new reports say it may have been intentional, with authorities linking it to the restive Uighur community in northwest China.
Olarte told INQUIRER.net that the wife, Lina Bunyi, died on the spot while the doctor and his two daughters suffered multiple fractures and were now confined at the Beijing Tongren Hospital.
He urged the government to extend assistance to the family, who were in China as tourists, and help bring the body back to the Philippines.
Olarte said Nelson Bunyi, a former president of the PMA’s local chapter in Cavite, and his daughters were awaiting surgery because of the multiple fractures sustained from the incident.
“This is a very lamentable and catastrophic event sustained by the family of Dr. Nelson Bunyi. I hope they will be given just compensation (by the Chinese government) and the identification of the criminal assassin,” he said in a phone interview.
The PMA is coordinating with concerned government agencies to help expedite the medical treatment for the family, among others.
Olarte said the Department of Foreign Affairs has assisted Nelson Bunyi’s brother in obtaining a visa.
“The brother has already been given a visa to visit China. They are now waiting for an official letter that would allow him to enter the hospital,” he said.
Maps of China and Tiananmen Square, where a vehicle ploughed into crowds, killing several people
They fear that the brother won’t be allowed to meet Bunyi because of reports that the Chinese government was stifling discussion on the alleged attack.
A US news article who quoted Bunyi said the family was walking on the sidewalk when they saw the vehicle head towards their direction.
Bunyi said the car was “coming very, very fast” and they were not able to run. He said he fell to the ground and saw only smoke.
However, the reporter said they were prohibited by police officials from further interviewing Bunyi.
Olarte said Nelson and Lina Bunyi, both around 50 years old, were classmates in medical school.
Agence France-Presse said two suspects from Xinjjiang were identified by Chinese authorities. Xinjiang is home to ethnic minority Uighurs, many of which are Muslim. While state media reported several violent incidents and “anti-terrorism” operations, rights group said there is widespread ethnic and religious repression against the Uighurs.
Tiananmen Square, a famous landmark in Beijing, was the venue of the 1989 pro-democracy protests in China which resulted in the death of a great number of people.
In 2005, a Filipino businessman named Emmanuel Madrigal and his daughter Regina Mia were stabbed to death on Tiananmen Square by a Chinese man, supposedly in relation to anti-Japanese protests. The wife Vivian survived after being seriously wounded while their two daughters were able to escape.
Related stories:
Filipino among 5 killed in Beijing car crash
PH gathering more info on death of Filipino in China – DFA
China stifles discussion of deadly Tiananmen crash
Tiananmen car blast that killed Filipino tourist may have Xinjiang tie – media