A bus driver in China drove a vehicle full of passengers off a bridge and into a reservoir in a deliberate act of revenge against society, police have said.

The divorced 52-year-old man, known by his surname Zhang, had downed a bottle of super-strength liquor before carrying out the act, according to an official statement on Sunday.

Twenty-one people – including the driver himself – died and 15 others were injured after the bus fatally crash last Tuesday in south-western Chinese city Anshun.

He is accused of deliberately ‘conducting ‘an extreme crime”, the notice said.

Police found that Mr Zhang had been drinking alcohol while passengers got on and off the bus, the statement said.

As he approached the reservoir, the bus driver suddenly veered across five lanes of traffic, through a guardrail and into the waters, police said.

Mr Zhang drowned and an autopsy found alcohol in his system.

The bus was said to be in perfect condition before the incident occurred.