An investigation into a fatal bus fire in Chengdu in southwest China indicates that gasoline was brought on board the vehicle. The blaze killed 27 people and injured 74.
Investigators believe that the gasoline's combustion may have been triggered by human error or deliberately. Also, the bus driver and some of the passengers smelt the gasoline before the fire. The burnt-out vehicle showed traces of petrol despite being diesel fueled.
Investigators have ruled out an explosion as the cause of the bus fire, saying no fragments of explosives have been found. The bus caught fire in the morning rush hour Friday, on its way to downtown Chengdu. In addition to the deaths, the fire also injured more than 70 others.
(CCTV June 8, 2009)
