Taiwanese prosecutors have wrapped up their investigation into a fire aboard a tour coach that killed all 26 people on board, confirming earlier reports that the driver was suicidal and took his own life before starting the blaze.
The two-month inquiry focused on the driver, Su Ming-cheng, as the main suspect, and no charges would be laid, officials from the Taoyuan prosecutors’ office were quoted as saying yesterday by the
China News Agency. Su appeared to be going through a difficult emotional time, with a sexual assault trial looming and problems at home. He had told an acquaintance he feared he would be jailed for five years, and the combined pressure might have pushed him to take his life, they said.
Su was driving the bus full of mainland tourists as well as a local guide to the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on July 19 when he started the fire near his seat, according to witnesses. Flames engulfed the vehicle as it barrelled down the highway for another 1.4km before crashing into a guard rail on the highway.