China: Riots over increase in bus fares

Security is tight in a town in central China following riots that involved as many as 20,000 people.

A BBC correspondent in the town, in Hunan province, has seen riot police and soldiers protecting government buildings and patrolling the streets.

He says it appears the protests began after a local firm took over the town’s bus routes and doubled the fares.


Vehicles were burned and several people were injured in clashes with police as the protests climaxed on Monday.

Reports said one person had been killed, although this was denied on Wednesday by the official Xinhua news agency, which played down the incident.

BBC