Firefighters check a damaged bus after extinguishing a fire in Shanghai on Monday, May 5, 2008.

The scene of a bus fire in Shanghai on Monday, May 5, 2008.

The scene of a bus fire in Shanghai on Monday, May 5, 2008.

Three people were killed and twelve were injured when a bus caught fire in Shanghai Monday morning, according to Shanghai police.

In a statement posted on its website, the Shanghai Public Security Bureau said the cause of the fire was under investigation.

The fire was put out within half an hour. Fire fighters estimated there were about 50 passengers on board the route 842 bus.

The No. 842 Bus suddenly caught fire at about 9am near the crossroad where Huangxing Road meets Guoquan Road in Yangpu District, according to local media reports.

The reports quoted witnesses as saying that the bus was an air-conditioned one and the doors were the only escape routes since the windows are sealed.

A security man at a nearby building said the fire and smoke could be seen from blocks away.

Latest reports said the damaged bus had been towed away and firefighters were clearing the debris.

An elderly woman passenger said she saw the fire break out at the rear of the bus.

"It was chaos. I was holding my granddaughter, when people pushed me off the bus," she said. (2008-05-05 10:14:52 Xinhua)

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