At least 17 people were killed and 5 others injured in a bus
explosion on State Highway 302 in Nanjing, Jiangsu
Province, at about 10:00 PM Tuesday, according to the
Nanjing Morning News.
The 47-seat bus, carrying 47 passengers and 4 employees, was
traveling from Huoqiu, Anhui Province, to Jiashan, Zhejiang
Province. All the passengers were from Huoji, a town in Anhui, and
were heading to Zhejiang to find jobs.
As the bus was traveling on the Pukou section of the highway,
the back of the driver's seat suddenly burst into flames, according
to a passenger surnamed Zhou, who said he was sitting in the first
row of passenger seats.
The driver hit the brakes and then an explosion was heard inside
the bus. The driver opened the door and ordered the passengers to
exit the vehicle immediately.
A 20-year-old man surnamed Guo said that when the explosion
occurred, he managed to open the window and get out with the help
of his mother. She was unable escape and burned to death inside the
bus.
Ambulances, firefighters and police arrived at the scene about
10 minutes after the accident occurred.
The death toll is currently being verified and the cause of the
fire and explosion is under investigation.
(Xinhua News Agency, Chinanews.com February 23, 2005)
