41 killed in bus fire in China

The overloaded bus burst into flames in central China, killing at least 41 people (Xinhua)

Published: 9:52am, 22nd July 2011
Updated: 3:17am, 23rd July 2011

An overloaded bus has burst into flames on a highway in central China, killing 41 people on board and injuring six, state media said.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the six passengers who managed to escape the blaze in Henan province's Xinyang city were all taken to hospital, with one in a critical condition.

It said the double-decker sleeper coach had a 35-passenger limit but was carrying 47 people.

Officials said they would have to use DNA tests to identify the bodies because they were so badly burned, Xinhua reported.

The agency said it was unclear what caused the blaze and an investigation was under way.

Earlier this month, 23 people died when a speeding truck rammed into a tourist bus that was illegally stopped along a highway in central China's Hubei province.