5th LD-Writethru: 35 dead in central China bus fire

A fire that reduced a tour bus to a charred frame on Sunday morning has killed at least 35 people, including two children, in Hunan Province, local authorities said.

The bus was carrying 55 people, the county government of Yizhang said, correcting a previous report that said 56 were on board. Eleven people were hospitalized, including four who were seriously injured.

The accident happened at about 10:20 a.m., when the bus crashed into the guardrail on a highway in Yizhang. The ensuing oil leak caused the fire, according to the government.

A photo taken at the site showed huge clouds of black smoke rising from the vehicle, and another showed the black frame of the bus after the fire was put out.

A survivor surnamed Huang said the driver told them the bus door could not open, and the driver then escaped from the window next to his seat. Huang smashed a window with a fire extinguisher in order to get out.

Video footage taken by a witness showed that fire and screams engulfed the bus minutes after the crash. Some passengers were seen limping out of the bus covered in blood.

State Councilor Guo Shengkun, who is also public security minister, has ordered all-out efforts to save the injured, identify the cause of the accident, and to take measures to prevent similar tragedies from happening.

A work team headed by Vice Public Security Minister Huang Ming is heading for Hunan to guide the investigation and handling of the accident on site.

Police have detained the driver. Endi