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Oil leak leads to fatal coach fire in South China
(Xinhau)
Updated: 2006-03-03 20:44
An oil leak from a diesel engine caused the coach fire which killed 16 people
in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Wednesday, according to the
local government.
"The oil caught fire due to the high temperature of the engine, " said an
official with the fire control department of Nanning City, regional capital of
Guangxi.
However, the vehicle was not equipped with hammers which are used to break
the windows and the manual door latch in emergencies, said the official, who
declined to give his name.
"More passengers could have got out of the burning coach if the vehicle had
had these safety facilities," said the official.
The coach was carrying 42 passengers from southwestern Sichuan Province to
Guangxi, when it suddenly caught fire at the Hengxian County section of the
expressway from Nanning. Sixteen passengers were killed and eight others were
injured.
Those injured are all now in stable condition and most passengers have gone
back home, according to the department.
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