Bus fire death toll reaches 27, arson not ruled out
Two more people died over the weekend from Friday's bus fire on the Third Ring Road while a container of gasoline has emerged as the source of the blaze, according to Chengdu officials.
Investigators have yet to determine if the fire, which injured 74, was an accident or was deliberately set. Of the 72 injured who are still hopitalized, 18 are in critical condition and 54 are in stable condition.
Neither accidental bus fires caused by passengers carrying flammable liquids nor sabotage are uncommon in China.
Municipal officials said that mechanical failure may not be the cause of the fire. Buses in Chengdu are retired after 500,000 kilometers or 10 years – the bus from Friday's fire had been driven fewer than 270,000 kilometers over less than five years.
Last July, two were killed and 14 injured in double bus bombings in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province.
This article was posted by Chris and published June 8, 2009
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