China Bus Fire Leaves At Least 35 Passengers Dead

Jun 26, 2016 04:40 AM EDT

A bus lies at the side of a ravine in flames following a traffic accident at Nandan county section of 210 national highway on January 10, 2012 in Hechi, China. A bus carrying 50 people collided with a truck and plunged 20 meters down a ravine in south China's Guangxi province, killing one and injuring another four. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images)

UPDATED: The death tool in China's bus fire Sunday morning has climbed to 35 as rescuers found more bodies inside the charred tour bus. Eleven people were hospitalized.

The victims died when the tour bus they were boarding in burst into flames while on a tour Sunday morning on a highway in Yizhang County.

Like Us on Facebook

Local authorities said 56 people were on board the bus when it crashed into the guardrails at about 10:20 a.m. The crash resulted to an oil leak that caused the blaze, according to authorities.

"It happened quickly... the bus slammed into the guardrails and then it burst into flames," one witness told investigators.

It was not yet disclosed where the bus was heading to and where it came from. It was also unclear if there were foreign tourists who perished or hurt in the accident Sunday morning.

Rescuers who rushed to the scene of the accident immediately discovered seven bodies but authorities feared they will discover more bodies in the charred frame of the bus.

At least 21 passengers of the burnt bus were rushed to the hospital and rescuers were still searching the bus for possible charred bodies.

According to the Hunan Provincial police, the driver of the bus, who was not identified as of this posting, has escaped the accident unhurt but has been placed under detention.

Investigators were also gathering statements from witnesses and victims to determine if the blaze was not caused by arson.

A survivor surnamed Huang said the driver told authorities that 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.

Last January, the police arrested a suspected arson who allegedly set a passenger bus ablaze in Ningxia Huia Autonomous Region, resulting to the death of 18 people and the injury of 32 other passengers.

The suspect, Ma Yongping, had been in a financial dispute with a construction contractor and expressed his discontent by setting the bus on fire, the police said.

TagsChina Bus Fire, bus fire, bus accident, China Bus Accident