A bus leaked a large amount of gasoline in Shanghai's Yangpu District this morning, causing a traffic jam just one day after a bus fire killed three passengers in the district, a news website reported today.

The No. 135 bus with more than a dozen passengers onboard was en route to Yangshupu Road when it began to leak gasoline about 8:10am, Xinmin.com said, citing one of its journalists onboard the bus at the time.

The bus driver stopped quickly after smelling oil and evacuated all passengers, the report said.

The passengers were in a panic, but got off the vehicle safely, the report added.

A large amount of gasoline pooled on the road and caused a traffic jam in the area.

The driver said the cause of the leak was unclear but it was "very abnormal," the report said.

Three people were killed and at least 12 were injured when a No. 842 passenger bus caught fire in the district around 9am yesterday.

Five of the injured are still in critical condition.

The Shanghai Public Security Bureau said that a commuter carried combustible goods onto the bus, which caused the fire.

(Shanghai Daily May 6, 2008)