Bus arsonist has no excuse

There can be no excuse for such an inhumane act targeted at innocent people.

The 33-year-old suspect, Ma Yongping, who allegedly set fire to a bus on Tuesday afternoon, killing 17 people and injuring 33 more, reportedly wanted to inflict "revenge on society" after he failed to resolve a dispute over money with a subcontractor on a local construction project.

The heavy casualties in the bus fire in Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region in Northwest China, have once again revealed the psychological scars caused by similar incidents in recent years and exacerbated people's concerns over the safety in such crowded public venues as buses.