Inflammables cause deadly central China coach fire

Inflammables carried by a passenger caused the tour coach fire that killed 26 and injured 28 in central China's Hunan Province on March 22, local police said Saturday.

Photo taken on March 22, 2019 shows the accident site of a coach fire in Changde, central China's Hunan Province. [Photo: Xinhua]

Chen Jiansen, a 51-year-old passenger from Henan Province, took highly inflammable pyrotechnic substances with him to board the coach in Kaifeng, Henan Province, heading to Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. He was to negotiate a business dispute with a seller in Guilin face to face after a consultation via phone failed and, if the negotiation came to nothing, to threaten the seller and seek revenge, according to the Hunan provincial public security department.

Photo taken on March 22, 2019 shows the damaged coach in Changde, central China's Hunan Province. [Photo: Xinhua]

Chen was killed in the coach fire triggered accidentally by the inflammables on the way, the department said.

The 59-seater bus caught fire on a highway in Hanshou County in the city of Changde, Hunan Province. There were 56 people on board, including 53 passengers, two drivers and a tour guide.

It is illegal in China to carry inflammable or explosive substances on public transportation vehicles.