Bus Fire Kills 30 In China’s Hunan Province
MEP: At least 30 people have been killed after a tour bus burst into flames in China’s Hunan province on Sunday morning, state media reported.
A total of 56 people were on board the bus when it crashed into a barrier along a highway, the official Xinhua news agency reported, suggesting casualties could rise.
The broadcaster also said 21 injured passengers were sent to a hospital, while the driver was held for questioning.
Pictures on state television showed thick black smoke billowing from the coach.
A motorist who was behind the bus when the accident happened told the Shanghai-based news website Thepaper.cn that a survivor had told him they were all members of a tourist group from Leiyang in Hunan and were on their way to go white-water rafting.
#UPDATE Death toll from bus #fire in C. China's Hunan Province reaches 35, driver detained for investigation pic.twitter.com/nWZC0Mw6rt
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) June 26, 2016
Local officials believe that an oil leak caused by the bus crashing into a roadside guard rail may have caused the fire, Xinhua said.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), traffic accidents are common in China, with more than 250,000 people dying each year on the country’s roads.
