Overcrowded bus fire kills 12 people ( 2004-01-03 15:54) (Xinhua)
A fire broke out suddenly early Saturday morning in an overcrowded bus on the
expressway connecting Shanghai and Nanjing in east China, killing 12 people and
injuring 14 others, local police said.
Preliminary investigation of the police showed 93 passengers were squeezed
into the bus with designed accommodation of only 40 passengers.
Most passengers were migrant workers heading their home province of Henan to
prepare for the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year.
Receiving a fire alarm at 5:43 a.m. Saturday, some 200 fire fighters and
traffic police were mobilized to extinguish the fire and rescue the injured. A
team headed by Vice Governor Li Quanlin of Jiangsu Province rushed to the scene
to guide rescue work.
The bus driver has been held by local police for further
investigation.
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