Traffic official held for crashing passenger bus

By Li Xinran  |   2008-6-18  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

A TRAFFIC administrator in east China's Anhui Province has been detained by local police for alleged suicidal driving after he and hired thugs tried to crash a long-distance bus from Shanghai, almost killing about 40 passengers onboard, the People's Daily said.

The intentional traffic accident was over a business dispute between the administrator and the bus owner, the newspaper reported on its Website.

The report said the administrator, identified as Zhang, was a deputy chief at a local traffic administration in Mengcheng County.

Niu Lizhi, the bus driver who ran a long-haul bus service between Shanghai and Anhui, was asked by his company to cooperate with Zhang on a bus business.

Niu and Zhang bought a bus in February and launched a joint business. However, conflicts between the two immediately occurred and Zhang was reported to have driven the bus away without Niu's agreement.

Niu finally found the bus by using its global positioning system, but the relationship between the two deteriorated.

The newspaper said Zhang hired thugs who drove three vans to block Niu's bus in Mengcheng about 7:50am on May 22.

Thugs said they were on Zhang's behalf to enforce the law. Niu's bus and passengers onboard were stopped at the scene more than an hour and released by traffic police.

During the next few days, Zhang blocked Niu's buses at the expressway entrance to Mengcheng, forcing Niu to change the bus routes.

On Friday, Zhang's men actually collided with Niu's two buses. Zhang himself rammed a van into the right side of a bus, which almost killed more than 40 passengers onboard, the report said.