Xiao Doudou was expected to celebrate her 10th birthday with her mum Qu Weiwei on Wednesday. The daughter had been waiting for her mum's return from an eight-day tour to Taiwan just on the eve of her birthday.

But the 37-year-old would never come back.

Just on the way to Taoyuan airport, the tour bus carrying Qu crashed into a highway railing on Tuesday afternoon. All 26 on board, including a driver, a tour guide and 24 mainland tourists, were killed at the scene.

"I don't know whether our daughter can accept the fact – mum will never come back," said Zheng Peng, Qu's husband.

He was very regretful that he did not say goodbye to his wife. "I'd thought there was nothing special. She had led so many tours in recent years," he said.

Qu was the leader of the tour.

She posted a notice on an online walking community for the tour organized by a travel agency in Northeast China's Liaoning province. A dozen people joined her.