A woman was killed and 19 others injured on Wednesday when a bus was set on fire in China's Shandong Province.

A roughly 50 year old man set the bus ablaze in the port city of Yantai at about 8:30 a.m. and the fire continued for a half hour before local firemen extinguished the flames, ABC News reports.

Like Us on Facebook

A passenger in the back of the bus said the bus's front ignited first, which encouraged some passengers to jump out from the windows, according to Shanghaiist.

Another passenger confirmed that the bus erupted into flames suddenly, burning the bus down to its frame in only minutes.

Little is known about the suspect or his motives, but police are conducting searches to find him, Xinhua News Agency reports.

A 40 year old woman died on the scene and four were seriously injured. They were rushed to nearby hospitals.

Authorities are withholding information out of concern that the incident will result in copycat acts.

China has had a string of bus arsons in the recent months, Business Standard reports.

In July a bus was set on fire by a 25 year old angry over gambling losses in the city of Guangzhou, killing two and leaving 32 injured.

Also in July, a man set a bus on fire in the city of Hangzhou because he was upset with society, according to authorities.

In May a bus in the city of Yibin was set on fire, killing one man who was likely the arsonist, and in February a man set a bus on fire in the city of Guiyang, killing six, because he believed his wife was being unfaithful.

Tagsbus, bus fire, arson, yantai