The packed single-decker bus burst into flames early Friday in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, after a fire apparently started inside and quickly engulfed the whole vehicle.

Two of the injured victims died in hospital on Sunday, Xinhua news agency reported, including a 69-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy who both had suffered serious burns.

"What we can say now is that we have ruled out the theory of self-combustion or a mechanical glitch," the Beijing News cited Chengdu transport spokesman Hu Qinghan as telling a news conference Saturday.

"Initial investigations at the scene have concluded the theory (that deliberate sabotage may have been involved)."

Further investigation into the blaze was ongoing, he said.

Most of the victims were trapped inside the vehicle as the doors failed to open and all of the windows on the air-conditioned bus were shut except for those in the rear.

The diesel tanks were intact and investigators have concluded that the flammable liquid that caused the fire was not from the bus, Hu said.

Passengers on the bus recalled smelling gasoline and seeing a liquid on the floor of the bus before the interior burst into flames with a huge explosion, the Chongqing Evening News reported.

"At the time, I could smell the odour of gasoline along the corridor and on the floor there was a clear liquid that looked like water," the paper quoted a passenger identified as Fu Jun as saying.

Another witness, who was at the rear of the bus, said he saw a man dump a bottle of liquid on the floor and then he immediately jump out of the rear window when the bus burst into flames, the paper said.

According to state radio, 15 of the 25 dead have not been identified, while 20 of the injured remain in serious condition.

Only about 10 people on the bus, including the driver, were able to escape the blaze without injury, previous reports said.

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