21 Killed Before Chinese Bus Burnt Down in Kyrgyzstan

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, March 29, 2003

21 Killed Before Chinese Bus Burnt Down in Kyrgyzstan

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Passengers of a Chinese bus had been killed before the bus was set ablaze on Wednesday night, Kyrgyz deputy prime minister and minister of transportation, Kubanychbek Zhumaliyev, told reporters in capital Bishkek on Friday.

Zhumaliyev, who headed an investigation into the incident, said the passengers were found shot and 10 spent cartridges of Kalashnikov rifles were also found in the bus.

Kyrgyz police believe that the passengers were first shot dead before the bus was set on fire, Zhumaliyev said.

All the 21 passengers in the bus died. The Kyrgyz Ministry of Interior Affairs said Friday that at least 12 of the passengers have been identified as Chinese.

The bus was traveling between Bishkek and the Chinese city of Kashi, Xinjiang.

Sun Dapeng, spokesman for China's Embassy in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek, said that, according to the passenger list, all 21 on board were Chinese nationals mainly visiting the region on business, but he added that they were still waiting for final confirmation of the victims' identities via DNA tests.

He said that the nature of the accident was making identification difficult.

Baktybek Nuraliyev, a duty officer at the Emergencies Ministry in Bishkek, said the victims' nationalities could not be officially determined as all their possessions, including identity papers, had burned, according to Russia's Interfax news agency.

The blaze broke out while the double-decker bus was in a mountainous area, about 263 kilometers southeast of Bishkek.

The Itar-Tass news agencies reported that highway police had discovered the burned-out bus about 500 metres off the side of the Bishkek-Torugart road, which leads to China.

The bus left Bishkek early Thursday morning for Kashi of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Itar-Tass said that all passengers were found seated in the bus, leading to speculation that they had gone to sleep with the engine running for heat. That in turn may have led to a build-up of gases in the bus, which later fueled a fire, Itar-Tass reported.

Sun also said that representatives of the Chinese Embassy have travelled to the site to take part in the investigation.

The Kyrgyzstani side has expressed deep regret for the sad incident and vowed to spare no efforts investigating the case, said Sun, adding that senior officials of Kyrgyzstan have met Chinese consular officials.

"The Kyrgyzstani police are investigating the case and up to now no progress has been made,'' Sun said.

The official denied that there were signs of foul play targeting the Chinese passengers.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said on Friday that the Chinese side is very concerned about the case, saying that China has urged the Kyrgyzstani side to try to solve the case as soon as possible and notify China of any developments.

A Chinese diplomat and a Chinese businessman in Kyrgyzstan were killed last year.

In May 2000, two Chinese diplomats were killed in Kyrgyzstan in an attack that law enforcement authorities later blamed on Uygur separatists.

Four separatists charged with the May 2000 killings have been imprisoned and are waiting for their appeal to be heard in court.

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