Driver in deadly bus accident has no criminal record on driving: prosecutor

A preliminary investigation into a fatal tour bus accident in Taiwan has found evidence to suggest the fire began in the vicinity of the driver's compartment and the driver had no criminal record related with driving, a local prosecutor said Friday.

Wang Yi-wen, deputy chief prosecutor of Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office told Xinhua that the autopsy results revealed that the driver had sustained severe burns. The results of alcohol and drug tests have not yet been returned.

Prosecutors say they found no evidence of any CCTV cameras on board the bus, which was badly damaged in the fire, according to Wang.

Twenty-six people were killed when the tour bus crashed into a highway barrier and caught fire near Taoyuan Airport in Taiwan on Tuesday. They included 23 tourists and a tour guide from the Chinese mainland, a local driver and a local tour guide.

No time frame has been released for the investigation, as the process has been made more complicated by the fact there were no survivors to recount the incident, according to Wang.

"The next stage of our investigation will concentrate on finding out what really happened and how the fire started," the prosecutor said. Endi