State-run media this weekend claimed that an unemployed man on a suicide mission was responsible for the fire that killed 47 people on a bus in Xiamen on Friday, according to Edward Wong of The New York Times:
The reports identified the man as Chen Shuizong, who was about 60 and impoverished. He had written a suicide note in which he expressed deep frustration, said the reports, which were based on details of the investigation released by officials in Xiamen. Mr. Chen was believed to have died in the explosion.
Southern Daily, the official newspaper of Guangdong Province, posted on its microblog a photograph of the man identified as Mr. Chen. He is seen pulling a bag behind him. The picture appeared to have been taken by an overhead security camera in the bus depot or on a street near it. [Source]
The Associated Press reported that Chen posted the suicide message to his own microblog account the day before the fire. President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have called for an investigation, according to the Global Times, and authorities said they were treating the incident as a criminal case, From the South China Morning Post:
City officials told a news conference the criminal probe was launched after initial investigations showed the accelerant was petrol, while the bus was equipped with a diesel engine.
The investigation by experts and police also showed that the tyres and tank of the bus “remained complete”, official state news agency Xinhua said. [Source]
