10 killed, 17 injured as public bus catches fire in northeast China

BEIJING, China – A local government in northeastern China says 10 people have died and 17 were injured in a fire aboard a public bus.

The Jilin provincial government said on its microblog that the fire broke out aboard a crowded bus early Wednesday morning. Reports said 43 people were aboard the bus at the time of the blaze.

There was no immediate word on the cause, although such blazes have been deliberately set in the past by passengers carrying grudges against the government.

Last week, a man suspicious of his wife’s infidelity admitted to setting a fire aboard a bus in southwestern China. Six people died and 35 were injured in the incident.