Two killed in China bus blast

Beijing, July 15 (Xinhua) Two people died and at least 20 others were injured in an explosion in a bus in China's Guangzhou city Tuesday evening, police said.

A woman, who was three months pregnant, was among the injured, but her condition was not critical, Xinhua reported citing sources with the Second People's Hospital in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.

Of the six injured passengers who were sent to the Second People's Hospital, two were in critical condition and were under intensive care.

The other injured passengers were admitted at Xinghai hospital and No. 421 hospital in downtown Guangzhou.

Most victims suffered burn-related injuries, and in the severest case, burns exceeded 60 percent of the body surface.

The blast went off on a bus that was in service on route 301 at around 7.30 p.m., a spokesman with Guangzhou's public security bureau said.

The cause of the blast is still under investigation.

A witness said the fully-packed bus had pulled over at Nandunhe stop on Guangzhou Avenue when the blast happened.

Some passengers hurried out of the bus, while others were still on board.

"I heard a bang, and in five minutes, the bus was reduced to a frame," said a passenger who escaped the blast.