Twenty-one people died and 15 were injured on July 7 when the bus detoured through five lanes, crashed into a railing and partially sank, according to police in Anshun city, Guizhou province.
There were 12 students on the bus at the time of the accident, five of whom died, according to state media. Some of the students were about to take their university entrance exams, known as the gaokao, reported China Central Television (CCTV).
The driver, surnamed Zhang, was among those killed.
“Zhang was dissatisfied with his life and with the demolition of his rented house. To be noticed, he committed an extreme criminal act,” the Anshun police statement said.
According to the police, Zhang normally started his shift at noon, but on July 7, he asked another driver if he could start earlier.
Just after 9 a.m., she bought a bottle of baijiu, a strong Chinese alcohol, before pouring it into a plastic drink container.
Hours later, just before the accident, Zhang sent his girlfriend a voice message on the popular WeChat messaging app, expressing feelings of “global weariness,” according to police.
Shortly before driving the bus to the depot, Zhang was seen drinking from a plastic bottle in the driver’s seat. At least 200 ml of baijiu were found by the police near the scene of the accident.
The state newspaper China Daily said Zhang had been given rental property when he worked at a diesel engine factory in Anshun’s Xixiu district. According to the police, he had not lived there for some time.
On the day of the accident, Zhang discovered that the house had been demolished, leaving him homeless.
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