One dead, 19 injured in bus fire in east China

JINAN - One person was killed and 19 others injured after a public bus caught fire during morning rush hour in east China's Shandong province on Wednesday.

The fire on the bus in Longkou city broke out at around 8.30am local time and was put out half an hour later, Xinhua news agency quoted the municipal government as saying.

Police said the fire was an act of arson, following a preliminary investigation, the news agency said. They believe the suspect is a man around 50 years old.

A woman in her 40s died on the spot and four of the injured are in serious condition, according to the report.

China has seen a string of bus arson cases in recent years, Xinhua reported.

In July, a 25-year-old suspect surnamed Ou in south China's Guangzhou province set a bus on fire in anger after gambling losses, killing two and injuring 32. A 34-year-old man was accused of setting fire to a bus in east China's Hangzhou City, injuring 32 people.

On June 7 last year, a bus in the east China coastal city of Xiamen burst into flames, leaving 47 people dead and 34 others injured. Police later said suspect Chen Shuizong, who also died in the fire, committed arson with gasoline.

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