Acid spill burns 21 on bus in Harbin

A BOTTLE of sulfuric acid overturned on a bus and burned 21 passengers in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province, on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported yesterday.

Six seriously injured passengers have been hospitalized and the others have received medical treatment, the report said.

A bus video recorded a man with a plastic bag getting on the bus, sitting at the back and putting the bag on the floor.

Acid spilled out of the bag after the bus drove over some bumps, the report said.

Police are searching for the troublemaker, the report said.

"I heard cries from the back," the bus driver told Xinhua.

"Someone shouted 'Stop! It's on fire!'" the driver was quoted as saying. "So I pulled over and opened the front door."

More than 20 people swarmed to get off and white smoke was rising from the back, the report said. A passenger called police at once.

Most of the passengers rushed to a nearby ditch to pour water over burnt legs and feet. Many nearby residents went to help the injured passengers, the report said.

A woman helped passenger Shi Shuifen remove her shoes and clean her burnt feet, the report said.

Officials said they would intensify measures to prevent people from carrying dangerous chemicals onto public transport facilities.