Oct 13, 2008 (DVB), Seven people were killed and one injured in an explosion on a passenger bus in front of Rangoon Technological University in the early hours of this morning, according to Insein township police.

An officer on duty at Insein police station the explosion occurred at around 2.30am.

"The [compressed natural] gas tank exploded in a small Hilux passenger pick-up truck running between Tike Gyi and Rangoon," he said.

"Only seven people died while one passenger was injured."

An official from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, which has an office near the site of the explosion, said the debris was quickly cleared away.

"The gas tank of a passenger pick-up truck running between Rangoon and Tike Gyi exploded while the bus was travelling to Kyi Myint Taing township vegetable market at around 2.30am this morning," the official said.

"By the time we got in to our office, nothing from the explosion was left there as authorities have already cleared it up."

Reporting by Aye Nai