THE suspect involved in Tuesday’s bus fire in Guangzhou that killed two and injured 32 others was detained yesterday morning, local police said.

    The man surnamed Ou, who comes from Central China’s Hunan Province, told police after he was arrested that he conducted the attack to vent his anger because he was in debt after losing money from gambling.

    The ill-fated bus was servicing Route 301 at the time of the explosion and was fully packed. It had pulled over at Nandunhe stop on Guangzhou Boulevard, where its doors were still open when the blast occurred at around 7:30 p.m.

    “I heard a bang and saw the entire bus was on fire,” said a witness who gave only his family name as Ye. “I was less than 20 meters from the bus, but could feel the heatwave.”

    Ye said he saw panic-stricken passengers rush out of the bus, some with burns. “But there were still people stranded on the bus.”

    He saw volunteers, mostly people from roadside stores, trying to put out the flames with fire extinguishers “to no avail.”

    Most of the victims suffered burn-related injuries and were being treated at three hospitals in downtown Guangzhou, a spokesman with Guangzhou’s public security bureau said.

    Of the eight victims in critical condition under intensive care, four suffered burns exceeding 80 percent of their bodies, he said. “Doctors say it might take two to four weeks for the most severe cases to be stabilized.”

    Police received reports of the explosion at 7:46 p.m., and the flames were put out at 8:03 p.m., he said.

    On July 5, a 34-year-old man was suspected of setting fire to a bus packed with tourists in Hangzhou in East China’s Zhejiang Province, injuring 32 people.

    (Xinhua)