Man regrets arson that killed 18 people
Print Edition
A MAN who set fire to a bus, causing the deaths of 18 passengers, told a court in northwest China yesterday that he regretted his actions.
However, prosecutors said that although Ma Yongping had confessed and expressed his regret, the offense was too serious to merit any kind of leniency.
They told Yinchuan People’s Court that Ma had taken “extreme measures” in a bid to “take revenge against society” after falling into debt.
He deliberately set gasoline alight on an early morning bus in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, prosecutors said, after telling police he would be setting off bombs if they did not solve his financial problems.
Ma said he had got into difficulties due to his involvement in a water supply project and was feeling desperate.
The court heard that on January 5 this year Ma had two containers of gasoline with him when he phoned police at 6.30am threatening to set off bombs in the city. He gave them a three-hour deadline.
However, he then boarded a bus heading to the city’s railway station and, at 7am, used a lighter to start a fire. He escaped from the burning bus through a window next to the driver and ran off.
Seventeen people died at the scene. Another 33, including the driver, were injured. One of the most seriously injured passengers died 11 days later.
Prosecutors said the fire had caused direct losses of some 113,500 yuan (US$17,240), as well as subsequent medical costs and compensation amounting to more than 10 million yuan.
The court said that Ma, who was apprehended by police just hours after the fire, would be sentenced at a later date.
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