Man sets bus on fire after gambling losses
Infuriated by his gambling losses, a Chinese man set fire to a crowded bus in Guangzhou on Tuesday night.
The blaze, which started with an explosion, killed two people and injured 32 others, police said. Eight people are in critical condition, four of whom have burns over more than 80 per cent of their bodies.
A 25-year-old man with the surname Ou was arrested on Wednesday, reported ShanghaiDaily.com.
A police statement said: "Ou confessed that he was dissatisfied by his personal gambling losses, so he carried out an arson attack on the 301 bus."
Extinguish the fire
The bus was fully-packed and had pulled over at Nandunhe stop on Guangzhou Avenue at around 7.45pm. The doors were still open when the incident happened.
China Daily reported one witness as saying: "I had been on the bus for a while before the explosion. It was crowded as usual, with more than 40 people. But I did not see or smell anything wrong beforehand."
Shopkeepers from nearby stores tried in vain to put out the flame with fire extinguishers. Police said the fire was extinguished at 8.03pm.
This tragic incident comes on the back of another bus blaze earlier this month, where a man set fire to a bus packed with tourists in Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, injuring 32 people.
Sources: AFP, China Daily, ShanghaiDaily.com
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