Authorities are investigating the cause of a bus fire that occurred on Thursday in Guizhou province, leaving five people dead and at least 32 injured.

A bus on Line 237 caught fire at about 12:40 pm on Jinyang South Road in Guiyang, Guizhou province, according to the city's publicity department.

A report by China News Service said that the people injured in the fire were taken to Jinyang Hospital, Guizhou People's Hospital and Affiliated Hospital of Guiyang Medical College.

More than 50 people were on the bus when the fire started, according to a witness. The cause of the blaze is under investigation, said the Guiyang publicity department.

A 47-year-old woman named Zhou was taken to Guizhou People's Hospital with burn wounds on her hands and legs.

Zhou said the fire started in the rear of the bus. "I couldn't get to the front door because the passengers panicked. Thanks to two young men who broke one of the windows with an emergency hammer, I was able to escape."

Zhou said she helped a women escape through the window. Within 10 minutes, the bus was engulfed in flames, she said.

Another passenger on the bus was cut by the broken glass and taken to Jinyang Hospital. "I heard a loud voice when the fire started, and everyone was frightened," he said, requesting anonymity.

He said more than 10 passengers escaped through the window.

In 2007, Guiyang joined a list of leading cities in China promoting the use of liquefied natural gas as fuel for buses, according to previous reports.

In early 2013, the city announced that all of its buses would run on liquefied gas.

Contact the writers at zengjun@chinadaily.com.cn and jinhaixing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 02/28/2014 page4)