Local government sources said on Tuesday that an arson suspect in a bus fire died in the incident on Monday in Yibin, Sichuan province.

Yu Yuehai, 51, was believed to have set fire to the bus, killing himself and injuring many others, according to local government officials.

An initial investigation showed that Yu had been a middle school teacher at Neijiang No 7 Middle School, according to the press office of Shizhong district, Neijiang.

He quit that job in October 2004. His motive for the presumed arson is still unknown.

The bus caught fire around 4:50 pm on Monday when it was passing along Nanmen Bridge, said Hu Jingwen, a 12-year-old girl who was sitting in the last row of the vehicle.

Hu said she smelled gasoline before fire broke out. She managed to escape through the back window with two of her classmates.

Altogether, 77 people were hospitalized, including three who were seriously injured and nine who are in critical condition.