4 killed as bus driver goes on 7-km rampage

• Source: Global Times
• [09:12 June 25 2009]
• Comments

By Deng Jingyin

Firefighters spray water on the crumpled remains of the taxi in which four people died. Photo: CFP

A bus driver was arrested in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, Tuesday, after causing a series of traffic accidents that left four people dead, 11 injured and 28 vehicles damaged, the Huizhou Public Security Bureau said.

“We are trying to determine exactly what happened, but at this stage, it seems the incident was caused by a single person. We will hold another press conference soon to announce our findings,” an officer surnamed Tang told the Global Times yesterday.

Li Guoqing, the driver of a No. 889 bus operated by the Chengtong Bus Company, left a trail of destruction stretching 7 kilometers, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

The devastation began at about 6:30 pm, when Li drove his vehicle, of which he was the sole occupant, into the back of a “blue car” that was stationary at traffic lights at the Sanxin intersection of Huizhou Avenue, traffic police said.

“The bus accelerated into the blue car at the traffic lights and that was then pushed onto the opposite lane, where it hit the taxi. It was crazy,” an eyewitness, who asked not to be named, told the Global Times yesterday.

After the initial collision, Li caused a series of other accidents during his 7-kilometer rampage.

While traveling along Tianyuan Road, the bus collided with a second taxi, killing its driver and three passengers, all of whom were men, reports said.

Earlier, Li had caused an eight-vehicle pileup on Fengshan Road, and a crash on Ehu Road that left four people traveling in a van, including a pregnant woman, injured.

The trail of destruction came to an end only when police intercepted him at the Tianyuan intersection on Ehu Road.

The No. 889 should have been traveling from Huiyang Xinyu to the Huizhou railway station, but Li instead went on a solo rampage, the China News Service reported, adding that there were rumors he was upset after hearing that his daughter had been murdered by his son-in-law.

The Global Times was unable to verify that rumor yesterday, as workers at the bus company were reticent about the incident.

“I don’t want to comment on the issue,” one employee said.