Shocking footage has emerged of the moments before a bus plunged 60 metres off a bridge in China on Sunday, showing a passenger fighting with the driver.

Key points: The footage shows the driver being slapped moments before swerving off the bridge

The footage shows the driver being slapped moments before swerving off the bridge 15 people including the driver have been confirmed dead

15 people including the driver have been confirmed dead The footage has gone viral on Weibo, with many people shocked at the passenger's actions

Rescue teams said 15 people died in the incident, including the driver.

Early reports from witnesses suggested the bus swerved to avoid another vehicle, crashing through the bridge barrier.

But the new video, which was recovered from the vehicle's black box recorder system, shows the driver fending off a woman who slaps him in the face and yells at him as he tries to keep driving.

Then as he tries to regain control of the bus, he swerves off the bridge, sending the bus plummeting 60 metres into the Yangtze river in the Wanzhou District of China's sprawling Chongqing city.

The passengers can be heard screaming in the background.

According to Chinese state media, police deemed the fight between the passenger and the driver to be the cause of the accident.

Sorry, this video has expired The bus sank around 80 metres underwater in the Yangtze river. (Photo: Chinatopix via AP)

The video has gone viral on Weibo, with some people blaming the woman for the accident.

"If the lady didn't physically attack the driver, would this accident still happen to Route 22 bus?" one user wrote.

Another said that the driver was to blame because he "deliberately turned the wheel to the left".

Xinhua News Agency reported that a floating crane pulled the wreck out of the river on Wednesday night.

ABC/wires