Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Footage shows the fight breaking out before the bus plunge

Security footage from a bus which crashed into a river in China has revealed that the driver was fighting with a passenger moments earlier.

The bus plunged 50m (164ft) off a bridge into the Yangtze River in Chongqing on Sunday - at least 13 people died and two more are missing.

Early reports said the bus had swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle.

But the new footage shows the driver was being hit by a passenger and then struck her back.

The bus, travelling at speed, then turns into the opposite lane and smashes through the safety barriers, before the footage cuts out.

Police have said the fight was the cause of the crash, state newspaper People's Daily reports.

Passengers can be heard screaming in the disturbing footage, shared by Chinese state media.

Image copyright Handout Image caption Dashcam footage from an oncoming vehicle shows the bus crashing through the security barriers

Police said the passenger, identified as a 48-year-old woman with the surname Liu, was angry that the bus had missed her stop.

They said she hit the driver, named Ran, with her mobile phone when he refused to stop and let her off.

Witnesses had said they saw the bus swerve across to the wrong side of the road before crashing through a safety barrier in Wanzhou district.

A huge rescue operation was mounted with teams of divers and dozens of boats and cranes deployed. But there have been no reports of survivors.

The wreckage of the bus was pulled out of the river from a depth of 71m on Wednesday night. Several of the passengers' bodies had to be retrieved by divers.

The crash, on a well-maintained and relatively quiet bridge, has shocked China.

Social media comments on Friday widely blamed the passenger for the crash, though some also criticised the driver for reacting.

One poster on Weibo, Wanten888, said: "If we see any passenger quarrelling with bus driver, we shouldn't stay quiet!"

Another said it was "heartbreaking" to hear the terrified passengers, while a Weibo user called Liza said there should be a law banning passengers from distracting bus drivers.</s>A bus has plunged off a large bridge spanning China’s Yangtze River, with state media saying two people were killed.

A bus has plunged off a large bridge spanning China’s Yangtze River, with state media saying two people were killed.

Two dead after bus plunges off bridge into China’s Yangtze River

Police say the bus suddenly veered into the wrong lane and collided with an oncoming car on Sunday before breaking through a guard rail and falling into the wide river in Chongqing in south-western China.

Divers and other rescue workers were searching for the passengers and driver.

Police said that more than 10 people were on the bus.

State broadcaster CCTV said that two people had been confirmed dead.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.</s>BEIJING (AP) - A bus has plunged off a large bridge spanning China's Yangtze River, with state media saying two people were killed.

Police say the bus suddenly veered into the wrong lane and collided with an oncoming car Sunday before breaking through a guard rail and falling into the wide river in Chongqing in southwestern China.

Divers and other rescue workers were searching for the passengers and driver. Police said that more than 10 people were on the bus.

State broadcaster CCTV said that two people had been confirmed dead.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Rescuers conduct search and rescue operation at the site where a bus has plunged off a bridge into the Yangtze River in Wanzhou in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. Police say the bus suddenly veered into the wrong lane and collided with an oncoming car Sunday before breaking through a guard rail and falling into the wide river. (Chinatopix via AP)

Rescuers conduct search and rescue operation at the site where a bus has plunged off a bridge into the Yangtze River in Wanzhou in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. Police say the bus suddenly veered into the wrong lane and collided with an oncoming car Sunday before breaking through a guard rail and falling into the wide river. (Chinatopix via AP)

A police boat parks under a bridge where a bus plunged off after colliding with another vehicle in Wanzhou in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. Police say the bus suddenly veered into the wrong lane and collided with an oncoming car Sunday before breaking through a guard rail and falling into China's Yangtze River. (Chinatopix via AP)

A diver prepares to conduct search and rescue operation at the site where a bus has plunged off a bridge into the Yangtze River in Wanzhou in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018. Police say the bus suddenly veered into the wrong lane and collided with an oncoming car Sunday before breaking through a guard rail and falling into the wide river. (Chinatopix via AP)</s>A bus has plunged off a large bridge spanning China's Yangtze River, with state media saying two people were killed.

Police say the bus suddenly veered into the wrong lane and collided with an oncoming car Sunday before breaking through a guard rail and falling into the wide river in Chongqing in southwestern China.

Divers and other rescue workers were searching for the passengers and driver. Police said that more than 10 people were on the bus.

State broadcaster CCTV said that two people had been confirmed dead.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.</s>By The Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — A bus has plunged off a large bridge spanning China’s Yangtze River, with state media saying two people were killed. Police say the bus suddenly veered into the wrong lane and collided…

BEIJING (AP) — A bus has plunged off a large bridge spanning China’s Yangtze River, with state media saying two people were killed.

Police say the bus suddenly veered into the wrong lane and collided with an oncoming car Sunday before breaking through a guard rail and falling into the wide river in Chongqing in southwestern China.

Divers and other rescue workers were searching for the passengers and driver. Police said that more than 10 people were on the bus.

State broadcaster CCTV said that two people had been confirmed dead.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>Bus crashes off bridge into the Yangtze River</s>A bus has plunged off a large bridge spanning China's Yangtze River, with state media saying two people were killed.

Police say the bus suddenly veered into the wrong lane and collided with an oncoming car Sunday before breaking through a guard rail and falling into the wide river in Chongqing in southwestern China.

Divers and other rescue workers were searching for the passengers and driver. Police said that more than 10 people were on the bus.

State broadcaster CCTV said that two people had been confirmed dead.

Be the first to know. No one covers what is happening in our community better than we do. And with a digital subscription, you'll never miss a local story.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.</s>BEIJING (REUTERS) - Rescuers recovered two bodies after a public bus plunged nearly 60m into a river after colliding with a car in south-western China's Chongqing city on Sunday (Oct 28), state television reported.

The bus collided around 10am with a private car that was driving against the flow of traffic on a four-lane bridge in the city's Wanxian area.

The bus then veered, broke through the bridge fence and plunged into the Yangtze River.

The bus sank some 50m under the water, state television reported, adding that it was not immediately clear how many passengers the bus was carrying.</s>Sexist attitudes quickly surfaced on Chinese social media after a bus carrying around a dozen passengers veered off course, hit another vehicle and plunged off a bridge into the Yangtze River on Sunday.

Two bodies have been found and the recovery operation is continuing, state media reported.

Fears for missing passengers after Chinese bus plunges off bridge into Yangtze River



Social media users began attacking women drivers after early reports from local media like cited an eyewitness account that a woman wearing heels driving in the wrong direction caused the accident in the southwestern city of Chongqing.

Many commenters on Weibo, the popular Chinese platform, wrote “The traffic management authorities should just ban women from driving,” or some version of that.

“The bus should have just run her over to prevent more deaths,” others wrote.

Other commenters quickly saw sexism in the headlines and pointed out the disparity in reporting. “When a male driver causes an accident gender is never emphasised, but women are insulted and blamed,” wrote one Weibo user.

It was later reported that the woman was driving normally. She suffered minor injuries and was hospitalised. However, the woman was briefly held by police after the accident, her husband told Thecover.cn.

His wife was a better driver than he was and had six years driving experience, her husband told Thecover.cn, adding that people would always jump to conclusions when they heard that a woman driver was involved in an accident.

Some posts that women should not be allowed to drive were later removed, the reported. But many comments and posts about the injured woman are still on Weibo and can be found by searching “female driver”.

Despite the declaration by Mao Zedong that “women hold up half the sky”, the feminist movement in China has faced pressures its Western peers do not. Feminist activists are often harassed by law enforcement and even arrested.

Recent high-profile sexual harassment cases have galvanised Chinese women, but they still face significant hurdles in their fight for equality. The women who have accused well-known television host Zhu Jun of harassment are being sued for defamation. They are now pursuing their own civil action suit against him.

As the #MeToo movement spread across the world, China’s internet censors removed posts with the tag, as well as others with similar messages. Chinese internet users and activists had to come up with creative ways to spread their message, like using Chinese homophones – the characters for rice (mi), and bunny (tu) – to tag feminist posts online.

And the younger generation seems to be more critical of the traditional patriarchal view – the blockbuster Chinese TV drama drew heavy criticism for highlighting the heroine’s obedience to her husband and in-laws, as well as her obsession with having a son.</s>Two people have died after a bus plunged off a large bridge spanning China's Yangtze River.

Rescuers recovered two bodies after the public bus plunged nearly 200 ft into the river in Chongqing on Sunday morning.

The bus collided with an oncoming car on the four-lane bridge in the city's Wanxian area at around 10 am local time.

The vehicle then veered, broke through the bridge fence and plunged into the Yangtze river.

The bus sank some 260 ft under the water, state radio reported late on Sunday, citing rescuers.

More than 10 people, including the driver, were riding the bus, state radio said.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.
A bus veers off the Second Wanzhou Yangtze River Bridge and plunges into the Yangtze River in Chongqing, China after its driver was distracted by an unruly passenger, killing at least 13 people.