Three people were killed and several others injured when a bus burst into flames in the Chinese city of Shanghai, state media said.

The incident occurred during the morning rush hour in Yangpu in the north-east of the city.

Fire-fighters said that there were about 50 passengers on board the No 842 bus when the fire broke out, Xinhua news agency said.

Three more passengers had been taken to hospital with severe burns, it said.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, the agency added.

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Photographs of the scene show a burnt-out shell and access to the area is being restricted, our correspondent adds.

One woman said that the fire broke out at the back of the bus.

"It was chaos on the bus," Xinhua quoted her as saying. "I was holding my granddaughter, when people pushed me off the bus."

(BBC)

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