Families of victims in the coach fire in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality that claimed 27 lives on Tuesday began to receive compensation, said local sources on Friday.

Relatives of the nine dead have received about 230,000 yuan (US$30,263.2) for each victim, while others are negotiating with local government.

Bodies of the nine victims have been cremated on Friday.

The coach with 38 people aboard burst into fire in the front at around 5:15 pm Tuesday when it was passing through the Tongya village of Qijiang county from Wansheng district to downtown Chongqing.

All of the dead, 15 male and 11 female, had been initially identified, among whom 24 were natives in Chongqing, one was from neighboring Sichuang Province and two other were from Jiangsu. Twenty-two have gone through DNA test.

Eleven injured, including the driver Chen Jun, are in stable condition, said Xu Shiguo, head of the Qijiang county.

Xiao Yonghua, 50, a former deputy manager of the Wansheng Branch, and his wife, 38-year-old Zhang Xiaoya, passengers who were both killed in the blaze, were found to have committed the arson attack.

Zhang was alleged to have bought some ten liters of gasoline the day before the tragedy, hid it in a wrapped plastic vessel in big bag, dodged safety-check with her husband by mounting the bus out of the station, and sat at the left of the first row, right behind the driver.

The woman poured out the gasoline and Xiao lit up the fire.

According to a letter left by the couple, they were dissatisfied with the suspension of Xiao's post after Zhang's father, a casual laborer who was laid off by the Chongqing Guanzhong No. 3 Public Transport Company, made a fuss to protest in September.

Chen Jun, the driver, has been detained for letting passengers in without having them pass safety-check.

Chongqing has launched a campaign for thorough checkup of life-saving equipment in vehicles. According to Liang Peijun, vice head of the traffic committee of Chongqing, the hammer used to break windows in case of emergency was missing in the ill-fated coach.

"A twelve-year-old kid could smash the windows with that hammer to help passengers escape the coach," he said.

Compact discs are being made to teach passengers how to cope with emergencies in coaches and buses.

(Xinhua News Agency October 6, 2007)