At least 17 people were killed and 5 others injured in a bus explosion on State Highway 302 in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, at about 10:00 PM Tuesday, according to the Nanjing Morning News.

The 47-seat bus, carrying 47 passengers and 4 employees, was traveling from Huoqiu, Anhui Province, to Jiashan, Zhejiang Province. All the passengers were from Huoji, a town in Anhui, and were heading to Zhejiang to find jobs.

As the bus was traveling on the Pukou section of the highway, the back of the driver's seat suddenly burst into flames, according to a passenger surnamed Zhou, who said he was sitting in the first row of passenger seats.

The driver hit the brakes and then an explosion was heard inside the bus. The driver opened the door and ordered the passengers to exit the vehicle immediately.

A 20-year-old man surnamed Guo said that when the explosion occurred, he managed to open the window and get out with the help of his mother. She was unable escape and burned to death inside the bus.

Ambulances, firefighters and police arrived at the scene about 10 minutes after the accident occurred.

The death toll is currently being verified and the cause of the fire and explosion is under investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency, Chinanews.com February 23, 2005)