One of the survivors said that the fire started at the back of the bus. (Photo : Al Jazeera via AP)
At least 35 people have died after a tour bus crashed into a guardrail and burst into flames in central China.
In a report, state-owned news agency Xinhua said that the fatal bus crashed into a barrier along a highway in Hunan Province on Sunday at about 10:20 a.m.
Fifty-five passengers were aboard the bus when the accident happened.
The fatalities include two children and 11 reportedly obtained injuries. Some of the victims were taken to No.1 People's Hospital of Chenzhou City and another hospital in Yizhang.
Two of the injured victims are currently in critical condition after suffering serious burns.
"One of the people in a critical condition is a diabetic woman in her 50s who sustained burns to 90 percent of her body. The other is a woman with burns to half her body," Xinhua said, quoting Tao Cheng, a medical expert from the rescue team.
Tao also told Xinhua that hospital doctors have created treatment schemes for every patient, including psychological counseling.
One of the survivors, a 51-year-old man, said that the fire started at the back of the bus. He managed to escape the flaming vehicle by breaking its window with a fire extinguisher. He only suffered minor fractures.
The driver of the bus, Liu Dahui, is now in police custody. An investigation is ongoing, as supervised by vice public security minister Huang Ming.
Initial reports, however, said that an oil leak caused by the vehicle crashing into the barrier might have started the fire.
Road accidents are common in China. According to the World Health Organization, 250,000 people die of road-related accidents in the country each year.
In 2014, 38 people died when a van containing flammable liquid hit a bus on the road.
A year earlier, a man started a fire while on a vehicle, killing 47 people.
