BEIJING (AP) — Police in the southern city of Guangzhou said Wednesday they had arrested a suspect who had confessed to arson in relation to a bus explosion that killed two people and injured 32 others.
The statement on the microblog of Guangzhou police gave no indication of a possible motive. It identified the suspect as a 25-year-old man with the surname Ou who was originally from Hunan province in central China.
The packed bus exploded at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday after it pulled into a stop, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. Most of the victims suffered burns and were being treated in hospital, and eight of the injured were in critical condition, it said.
“I heard a bang, and in five minutes, the bus was reduced to a frame,” an unnamed passenger who escaped the bus was quoted as saying.
Earlier this month, 32 people were injured in a fire on a bus in eastern China’s Hangzhou city after a man on board poured flammable liquid from his backpack and set it alight. Police said the man set the fire to try to gain fame, according to Xinhua.
The incidents come at a time when Chinese authorities are on edge following a series of violent attacks blamed on Muslim extremists, causing them to increase security at airports and train stations, and on buses.
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