Monday, March 25, 2019
A blaze on a tour bus travelling along a highway in central China has left 26 people dead and as many as 30 injured, local authorities reported on Saturday, 23 March. According to the Hunan province spokesman’s office, five of the injured are in critical condition.
The incident occurred at around 7:15 pm on Friday along a stretch of Hanshou County in the city of Changde. Hanshou County is one of the popular tourist hotspot in Central part of China.
The photos from the scene showed that the 59-seater bus’ interior completely charred, possibly indicating the fire started with materials on board.
The industrial and transport safety remain major problems in China, with at least 62 people now reported dead in a massive chemical explosion on Thursday in the eastern province of Jiangsu. At least 640 people have been injured and local hospitals are filled with wounded victims. The Yancheng city government statement said 3,500 medical workers at 16 hospitals and 90 ambulances were mobilised to treat the injured, dozens of whom remained in critical condition. More than 130 victims underwent emergency surgery and 64 medical experts were dispatched to the scene to assist the rescue operation.
Previous the deadly fire incidents aboard buses in China, including arson attacks, were caused by passengers or drivers bearing grudges against their employers or society.
Horrible car & bus accidents are common in China, where transport authorities struggle to enforce safety regulations, which are often flouted. There are some 58,000 people were killed in traffic accidents across the country in 2015, the latest year for which the data is available publicly.
The violations of traffic laws were blamed for nearly 90 percent of accidents that caused deaths or injuries that year. In November, at least 13 people died when a bus plunged off a bridge in Chongqing municipality, after the driver got into a fist fight with a passenger who had missed her stop.
Tags: central china, china, china tourism, Hanshou County
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
