Deadly bus blaze in SW China deliberate: police

• Source: Global Times
• [00:02 July 03 2009]
• Comments

A fire rages through a bus in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, on June 5, 2009.

Wang Anna

The bus fire that killed 27 people and injured 74 in Sichuan Province on June 5 was the work of an arsonist who also died in the blaze, local police said yesterday.

The fire-starter was identified as 62-year-old Zhang Yunliang, an unemployed man who hailed from the city of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.

He had been living in Chengdu, police said.

Zhang had threatened to commit suicide after his family reduced its financial support to him, police said.

He called his daughter on June 4 and told her he would be “gone tomorrow” and that his death would be different from anyone else’s.

His family received a suicide note on June 9, which Zhang had posted to them.

Traces of gasoline found on the floor of the bus near to where Zhang had been sitting indicated he had started the blaze, police said.

Only one body was found near to Zhang’s seat and the cap of a lighter was retrieved near his body. Also, the position of his body suggested he had not tried to escape.