BEIJING: Twenty-four people were killed and 19 others injured in a fire aboard a steel company`s shuttle bus in eastern China at the weekend, a local official said Monday.

The accident happened Sunday in the city of Wuxi, in Jiangsu province, a city government spokesman told AFP.

"The reason for the fire is not yet known but the public security bureau is investigating," said the official, who only gave his surname, Wang.

The bus belonged to Wuxi Xuefeng Steel company, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Calls to the company were not immediately answered.

Deadly fires are common in China due to lax safety measures.

At least 10 people were killed in a fire in May at a dormitory for railway workers in the Inner Mongolia region.

BDST: 08:36 HRS, July 5, 2010