[ad_1]
BEIJING – In their last moments, the passengers shouted.
A woman was standing at the front of the bus, slapping the driver with a cell phone. The driver fought back, losing control of the bus and sending him plunged more than 200 feet into the Yangtze River in southwestern China.
The fight made headlines in China on Friday, when police released a video, found in the wreckage, showing the moments leading up to the accident, occurred Sunday in Chongqing City, making at least 13 dead.
The video was viewed hundreds of millions of times, causing shock, contempt and questions about whether there was too much vitriol in the company.
"Maybe there is too much negative energy," said 30-year-old Wang Chenshuang, a resident of Chongqing, who works in the education sector. "It's surprising."
Two people on the bus are still missing and no survivors have been found, police said.
The authorities said that the woman, nicknamed Liu, started to beat the driver, nicknamed Ran, after missing his stop and that he refused to let her go.
Much of the frenzy on Friday took place online. Internet users have expressed outrage that Ms. Liu and Mr. Ran are allowing a small battle to endanger the lives of many people. They asked the government to do more to protect bus drivers.
"In a few seconds, a whole bus of life is lost," wrote a commentator on Weibo, a microblogging site. "The price to act on the impulse is too serious."
Zheng Chuankai, a lawyer with Anli Partners in Beijing, said the incident highlighted the need to maintain strict laws to punish those who endanger public safety.
"This case is very typical and very vicious," he said.
Previously, state media had accused the driver of being responsible for the accident, her vehicle collided with the bus before it plunged into the river. This information triggered sexist rhetoric against online female drivers.
But police said Friday that it was the fight that caused the crash, accusing Ms. Liu and Mr. Ran of "mutual fist-of-fist behavior" in a statement.
"Fifteen fresh lives are gone and the lessons are extremely painful," the statement said. "Let the dead rest in peace and let the living be warned."
An online commentary from the Chinese People's Daily, People's Daily, called the conflict useless.
"We have to ask ourselves why the fights between passengers and drivers continue to happen," the comment said. "Take to heart the painfully learned lessons and do not stop sobbing. And do not stop at anger. There is no redemption without careful thought. "
