A total of 588 Taiwan tourists were stranded in Jiuzhaigou, a tourist attraction in southwestern Sichuan Province, according to a mainland spokesman on Wednesday.

Yang Yi, a spokesman with the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, told a press conference here that emergency rescue was in progress.

According to the Chongqing branch of Air China, the airlines arranged four Boeing 737 airplanes to pick up all the stranded tourists in Jiuzhaigou, including the Taiwan compatriots.

(Xinhua News Agency May 14, 2008)