Xiamen bus fire

On the evening of 7 June 2013, at around 6:22 p.m. local time, a Xiamen Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) bus bearing license plate Min D-Y7396 and carrying 90 passengers caught fire while traveling on an elevated lane between the Caitang and Jinshan bus stops in Xiamen, Fujian Province, China. The fire started at the rear of the bus and, after spreading to the fuel tank, caused the vehicle to explode. Firefighters extinguished the blaze by approximately 6:50 p.m., roughly twenty minutes after it began, during the evening rush hour. The incident resulted in 47 deaths and 34 injuries. In the aftermath, the entire Xiamen BRT system was temporarily shut down, resuming service the following day.

Preliminary investigations by traffic police raised suspicions that the fire had been deliberately started. Although the bus operated on diesel fuel, investigators discovered traces of gasoline in the wreckage. Additionally, the bus's oil tank and tires were found intact, which investigators said was inconsistent with an accidental mechanical fire. China's Ministry of Public Security classified the incident as "a serious criminal case."

On 8 June 2013, police identified local resident Chen Shuizong, born on 1 March 1954, as the suspect. Authorities said a note found at his home stated that he was unhappy with his life and had decided to set the fire to vent his anger. Family members who spoke to reporters and posted on social media said that Chen had been angry with police officials who had refused to correct an error in his identity documents concerning his age, an error that they said had resulted in him being denied social security benefits.

Authorities described the incident as a suspected mass murder-suicide because Chen died in the fire along with dozens of other passengers. His death meant that no charge or trial tested the police conclusion that he was responsible.