Big-wheel inferno

Three young Chinese holidaymakers were burnt to death on top of an amusement park Ferris wheel when their gondola mysteriously burst into flames, Reuter reports from Peking. Hundreds of onlookers watched as the burning car slowly came back to earth, spewing flames and trailing black smoke, the Peking Youth News said.

The victims were trapped about 50 metres above the ground when the fire broke out on Sunday at the Peking Amusement Park.