Eight people were killed and 19 injured in an explosion on a bus on Sunday evening in central China's Hunan Province.

A local government source said the blast occurred at 5:57 PM in the county of Guiyang.

More than 200 police were deployed at the site to help rescue the injured, protect the scene and direct the flow of traffic.

Rescuers said eight people died at the scene and at least seven of the19 injured were in a critical condition.

An investigation into the cause of the blast is underway.

(Xinhua News Agency August 7, 2006)