Investigators say gasoline fuelled fire

Investigators are focusing on the possibility of a passenger carrying gasoline onto a bus that caught fire in Chengdu in Sichuan province. The flames spread quickly. 27 people are dead with 74 injured, some of them suffered serious burns.

Firefighers and policemen investigate at the spot of a fire broke  out on a public bus in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan  Province, June 5, 2009. (Xinhua/Xiao Lin)

Investigators say they found traces of gasoline in the charred remains of the bus. The vehicle ran on diesel which leads them to believe the highly flammable liquid was carried by a passenger.

Investigator He Jiansheng said, "Therefore, we believe someone had brought gasoline aboard the bus. The combustion of the gasoline might have been triggered by human error or deliberately. But an explosion can be ruled out as the cause of the bus fire, because no fragments of explosives have been found and no signs indicate an explosion happened."

The bus driver and some of the passengers say they noticed the odor of gasoline before the fire.

The bus caught fire in the morning rush hour Friday, on its way to downtown Chengdu.

Of the more than 70 riders injured, 18 of them are still in critical condition in hospital.