Bank-truck fire kills 5

Source: Xinhua  |   2009-5-5  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

AN armored truck veered off a road into a ditch and caught fire, killing five bank staff members aboard the vehicle in central China's Henan Province, local police said yesterday.

The accident took place near the Kafang Village in the Xichuan County at about 4pm on Saturday, said Chang Jianhui, director of the Xichuan County Public Security Bureau.

Villagers attempted to save the people inside the armored truck, but the vehicle was too sturdy to be cut open, Chang said.

The armored truck was owned by the Xi-chuan outlet of the Agriculture Bank of China, but it was not being used to transport cash at the time of the accident. The bank staff, led by a deputy bank chief, were returning home from a local scenic spot, Chang said.

An initial investigation indicated that speeding was to blame, he said, but intensive fire damage made it impossible to determine whether the driver had been drinking.