The bus driver who ended up in a lake, killing 21 people in China last Tuesday, acted deliberately, furious at the demolition of his home, local police said. The drama took place in Anshun, in the poor province of Guizhou in southwest China. On board were high school students heading to the Chinese Baccalaureate examination center.
According to the investigation, the bus driver, a 52-year-old Mr. Zhang, was "unhappy with his life" and upset by the discovery on the same day of the drama of "the (announced) demolition of the accommodation that he praised, "said Anshun police on Sunday in a social media release. The deceased driver had been drinking alcohol while on duty.
VIDEO. China bus deflects course, sinks into lake, at least 21 dead
On video surveillance images broadcast by the authorities, the vehicle suddenly changes course and crosses the opposite direction of traffic before breaking through a safety barrier and diving into a lake located below a small slope.
Expeditious house demolitions
Land expropriations and housing demolitions by local officials to carry out development projects are a major source of anger and instability in China.
The information was first relayed last Friday by the economic magazine Caixin, before being blocked online. Many media then reported the information, which was widely followed on social networks.
"Why inflict your suffering on so many families? “Wondered a surfer on the Weibo network. Others also raised the issue of too little expropriation and compensation offered to people whose homes were demolished. "I have no sympathy for (the driver) but I understand it," wrote a surfer.
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At the end of 2018, a dispute aboard a public bus traveling on a bridge in Chongqing (southwest) had caused the vehicle to fall in the Yangtze, the longest river in China, and the death of at least 13 people .
