Bus driver in China saves 12 passengers by braking while suffering heart attack, dies hours later

A bus driver in China suffered a heart attack while driving but managed to stop his bus twice, saving 12 passengers before he died.

The incident took place at around 6:33pm on Jun. 15 in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, during the evening rush hour, Zhejiang Online reported.

Footage from an onboard surveillance camera showed 43-year-old driver Zhou Yu suddenly leaning forward while behind the wheel.

Despite experiencing distress, he managed to brake and bring the bus to a controlled stop at a traffic junction while maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle in front.

He then collapsed in his seat and appeared to lose consciousness.

Stopped vehicle before losing consciousness

About a minute later, Zhou briefly regained enough strength to sit upright and stop the bus.

According to local transport officials, this action prevented the bus from rolling forward on uneven road surfaces after the driver lost consciousness.

Passengers who noticed Zhou was unresponsive immediately alerted the authorities.

Police officers and emergency medical personnel arrived at the scene shortly after and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) before rushing him to the hospital.

Died later that night

Zhou was pronounced dead at 11:17pm the same night despite rescue efforts.

Doctors determined that he had suffered a heart attack caused by acute coronary syndrome.

A representative from Zhoushan's public transport operator said Zhou's ability to carry out the critical braking manoeuvre under such circumstances was likely due to his 22 years of driving experience and more than 340,000km of safe driving.

According to reports, Zhou had maintained a record of zero accidents, zero traffic violations, and zero passenger complaints since joining the company in 2019.

He had also been recognised as a safe driver for seven consecutive years.

Top image via CCTV News