Passengers were evacuated when a No. 973 bus started belching smoke yesterday in Shanghai. Nobody was injured in the incident, Youth Daily reported today.

The accident happened near the intersection of Meilong Road and Baise Road in Xuhui District around 5:20pm when the back of the bus started spewing a large amount of smoke, the report said.

After passengers were evacuated, the driver checked the engine and found nothing was burning, but leaking oil and an overheated engine might be to blame for the incident, the report said.

Shanghai traffic authorities beefed up bus safety inspections after a bus blaze killed three people and injured another 12 on Monday in Yangpu District. Police said a passenger carried "combustible oil products" onboard, which caused the fire, the report said.

The No. 973 route departs from Nanquan Road and ends at Shanghai South Railway Station.

(Shanghai Daily May 9, 2008)