At least 42 dead and 30 injured after Chinese bus burst into flames in rush hour

At least 42 people have died and 33 others were injured in a rush hour bus fire in southeast China.
An express bus burst into flames while on an elevated roadway in the prosperous port city of Xiamen, state media reported.
A local fire official who only gave his surname, Sun, said bodies were piled up inside the bus. He said the cause of the fire was being investigated.
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At least 42 people died when a bus burst into flames during rush hour in Xiamen, southeast China

Witnesses pictured thick black smoke billowing from the express bus, which was on an elevated roadway in the Chinese city

Officials are investigating what caused the fire, according to reports in Chinese state media

Operations of the entire express bus system, known as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), were suspended after the accident, Xinhua News Agency said.
It quoted a survivor as saying she smelt petrol and then saw a fire spreading rapidly.

Photos on Chinese social media showed huge clouds of black smoke rising from the burning bus.
Victims were seen bleeding with torn clothes and burned skin. 
An official news site, Xiamen Net, said witnesses heard sounds of explosions after the fire had been burning for about 10 minutes.

The bus was left as little more than an empty shell after it caught fire

State media reported witnesses saying they smelt petrol and heard explosions after the fire started

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Passengers were pictured with severe burns after the incident

Xiamen's BRT system has been running since 2008. It covers more than 80 kilometers (50 miles) and carries more than 250,000 people each day. Xianmen Net said the buses are often crowded during rush hour. 
China's public transit has been expanding rapidly over the past decade, but there are worries that the country is sacrificing safety in its rush to roll out modern services. 
In 2011, a high-speed train accident near the eastern city of Wenzhou killed 40 people. Later that year, a collision on a new subway line in the financial hub of Shanghai injured hundreds of people.
In 2009, an unemployed man set fire to a packed bus in Chengdu, killing himself and 26 others.

The incident happened in the port city of Xiamen, China

A soot-covered woman appears to be in shock as she walks in a bus station after the fire

Passengers with torn clothes and injuries were seen making their way away from the blaze

DAILYMAIL