Chengdu bus fire

On June 5, 2009, a mass murder–suicide[1] attack occurred on a bus in Chengdu, People's Republic of China. It resulted in 27 deaths, and 76 injuries.[2] The attack had no evidence initially connected to terrorism.

Chengdu bus fire
LocationChengdu, Sichuan, China
DateJune 5, 2009
TargetBus passengers
Attack type
Arson, mass murder, murder–suicide
WeaponsGasoline
Deaths28 (including the perpetrator)
Injured73
PerpetratorZhang Yunliang

Fire

At around 8:00 a.m. local time, a diesel bus was engulfed in flames.[3] The number of casualties was aggravated by the rear door not opening, and firefighters and other emergency service crews being blocked 1 km from the scene by bad traffic. The exact cause of the fire was not immediately known by officials,[4] but the diesel engines were intact and authorities quickly ruled out a mechanical glitch.[5] Gasoline carried on board by a passenger was soon blamed,[6] and authorities did not rule out arson as the cause as the investigation proceeded.[7]

Several passengers, including the bus driver, reported smelling gasoline, and traces of gasoline were found in the bus, which did not use gasoline as fuel.[8] Following the government probe, investigators stated that gasoline brought on board by a passenger did indeed cause the fire, but they could not immediately determine if the fire was a deliberate act of arson or an accident.[9] The initial probe did rule out an explosion as the cause of the fire.[9] Pedestrians outside the bus rushed to help break the windows to allow passengers to escape.[10]

PRC national law does not require buses to maintain hammers for the purpose of breaking the windows in an emergency,[10] but remains of three emergency hammers were found at the scene. The bus was built in February 2005 and had logged 270,000 km (168,000 mi) at the time of the incident.[11] Including those who died in hospital following the incident, the total death toll was 27.[7]

Perpetrator

The arsonist was later identified as 62-year-old unemployed Zhang Yunliang (张云良), a native of Suzhou, Jiangsu, who temporarily lived in Chengdu.[12] He had previously threatened suicide after his family reduced his financial support.[12] The night before the arson, Zhang told his daughter he wanted to "die differently".[1] Zhang had been addicted to gambling before arriving in Chengdu in 2006, and was dependent on the financial assistance from his daughter.[2] Zhang was at the rear of the bus the time he burnt to death.[12]

Reactions
Emergency hammer and emergency glass breaking device on Chengdu BRT

The fire ultimately affected 101 families.[1] Following the incident, Li Shuguang, the chairman of the bus company resigned,[13] saying he hoped his resignation would "arouse society's attention to the safety of public transport."[14] A bus company in Chengdu promised to financially reward passengers who report others who bring flammable liquids or other prohibited items on board.[2] The municipal governments of Beijing, Shenyang, and Guangzhou reacted by reviewing bus safety measures.[15] Officials in Haikou outfitted public buses with 400 emergency hammers, but over half of the hammers were stolen from the buses within three days.[16] As local hospitals were running low on blood needed for transfusions to help the victims, over 60 Chengdu citizens and 55 soldiers volunteered for blood donations after an urgent call from hospital authorities. [17]

In the days after the Chengdu bus fire, buses also caught fire in Shenzhen on June 13, in Wuhai, Inner Mongolia on June 15 and in Zhoushan, Zhejiang on June 16.[18] There was no evidence initially of any terrorist connection, and no passengers were killed in the three other bus fires.[19] The Shenzhen government responded to the bus fires in Chengdu and Shenzhen by declaring that the city's kindergarten buses must be equipped with GPS.[20]

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See also

References
  1. "We can stop suicides". China Daily. 2009-07-04. Archived from the original on 2009-07-25. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  2. Huang, Zhiling (2009-07-04). "Bus company offers reward for fire clues". China Daily. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
  3. "25 killed in bus blaze in Chengdu city". China Daily. 2009-06-05. Archived from the original on 9 June 2009. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
  4. "UPI NewsTrack TopNews:". United Press International. 2009-06-05. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
  5. "Chinese bus blaze may have been sabotage". AFP. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
  6. Hornby, Lucy (2009-06-07). "Gasoline blamed in deadly Chinese bus fire". Reuters. Archived from the original on 9 June 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
  7. Huang, Zhiling (2009-06-08). "Arson not ruled out in bus inferno". China Daily. Archived from the original on 2009-06-20. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  8. "Chinese investigators say someone brought gasoline aboard bus before fatal blaze". Xinhua News. 2009-06-08. Archived from the original on 2009-06-20. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  9. "Chengdu bus blaze: Probe shows gasoline as cause of fire". CCTV. 2009-06-08. Archived from the original on 2009-06-20. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  10. Bodeen, Chris (2009-06-05). "Bus fire in southwestern China kills 25". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on 18 June 2009. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
  11. Xiong, Tong (2009-06-06). "DNA collected to identify victims in SW China bus blaze". Xinhua News. Archived from the original on 11 June 2009. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
  12. "Deadly bus blaze in SW China deliberate: police". China Daily. 2009-07-03. Retrieved 3 July 2009.
  13. Bowerman, Gary (2009-06-08). "Chengdu Bus Company Chairman 'Quits' After Deadly Blaze". BizChinaUpdate. Archived from the original on 2009-06-20. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  14. Bowerman, Gary (2009-06-15). "After Chengdu Blaze, Shenzhen Bus Catches Fire". BizChinaUpdate. Archived from the original on 2009-06-20. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  15. Wang, Jingqiong (2009-06-08). "Cities move to ensure safety after bus blaze". China Daily. Archived from the original on 2009-06-20. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  16. Mu, Eric (2009-06-11). "New emergency hammers in Haikou buses fall victim to theft". Danwei. Archived from the original on 2009-06-20. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  17. Qin, Mei (2009-06-10). "Volunteers Donate Blood for Bus Fire Victims in Chengdu". CRIENGLISH. Archived from the original on 2009-06-20. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  18. Deng, Shasha (2009-06-19). "China warns against potential fire danger in public transport". Xinhua News. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
  19. Chow, Elaine (2009-06-15). "Another bus spontaneously combusts in Shenzhen". Shanghaiist. Archived from the original on 2009-06-20. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  20. "Shenzhen's Kindergarten buses to be equipped with GPS". Shenzhen Post. 2009-06-22. Archived from the original on 22 January 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2009.

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