I just read that the Chengdu bus fire that killled 27 people was casued by gasoline that a passenger brought onto the bus.
WHY THE HELL DOES ANY PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM IN CHINA ALLOW PEOPLE TO CARRY GASOLINE?????????
How stupid is that? Make them take a taxi if they got to carry propane or gasoline around. Besides we have too many taxis anyway.
Of course this is terrible and people should know better than to do something that stupid but how can the bus driver check everyone's baggage? Police checkpoints at every bus station?
Hey bucko!
Totally agree with what you say, however, consider the logistical problem. If some dude is bent on bringing gasoline aboard (malicious or not), how would the driver know? Perhaps it is in sealed container that emits no fumes. Or what if it was brought aboard through the rear entry as some buses allow. Or, if the intent is indeed malicious, it could be passed through the window once the perpetrator is aboard.
And no, I'd haven't thought of this beforehand and I'm not a terrorist, ha.
Reminds me of that bus in Liaoning that blew up a couple of years ago because some nong had brought a couple of gas canisters aboard it. Also no hammers and everybody were incinerated. Those gas thingies cause hundreds of restaurant fires in China every year btw and especially in certain northern provinces where it is common to sell soup at the entrance. One blows up and everyone inside is trapped.
I still don't get how they managed to stuff 120 people into that bus. Using the phrase "this is China" seems appropriate here. There are some pics and videos from the bus fire on Chinasmack (not for the faint-hearted): www.chinasmack.com/pictures/chengdu-bus-9-fire-videos/