A deadly bus accident in China's Chongqing city last Sunday was caused by a fist fight between the driver and a passenger, said local authorities on Friday (Nov 2).
The bus plunged into a section of the Yangtze River in Wanzhou district, killing all 15 people on board, including the driver.
A video retrieved from the black box of the bus shows a passenger scuffling with the driver just moments before the crash.
Dashcam footage from an oncoming vehicle shows the bus veering off its lane, colliding with a car and smashing through the guardrails of a bridge before plunging into the river.
According to Wanzhou police, the fight started after a 48-year-old female passenger missed her stop and asked the driver to pull over immediately.
He refused, and she went on to hit his head with her mobile phone before they exchanged blows. The two began shouting and using "aggressive language", said the police.
The driver then lost control of the bus, said local media. Video footage show him yanking the wheel hard to the left amid the argument.
Rescue workers and boats on the site where a public bus plunged into the Yangtze River after colliding with a car in Chongqing, China on Oct 28, 2018. (Photo: REUTERS)
More than 70 rescue boats were deployed to the scene, reported China Daily. The wreck was pulled out of the river on Wednesday night by a floating crane.
Thirteen bodies have been pulled out of the river, but two remain missing. (Photo: AFP/STR)
Thirteen bodies were reported to have been found. Two are still missing.
"Fifteen lives were lost in an instant - the lessons from this are very painful," police said.
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