Bus driver honored as 'revolutionary martyr' Updated: 2012-06-04 20:12 (Xinhua)

HANGZHOU - A Chinese bus driver has been conferred the honorary title of "revolutionary martyr" for sacrificing his own life to save 24 of his passengers.

Wu Bin, a 48-year-old bus driver from the eastern city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, died from injuries Friday, three days after a sheet of metal flew through the windshield of his bus while he was driving from Wuxi to Hangzhou.

Although the sheet of metal severely injured Wu, a surveillance video shows him stopping the bus, turning on the hazard lights, putting on the parking brake and advising the passengers to remain seated before collapsing from his injuries.

Wu's heroic deeds have deeply moved the pubic with thousands of people paying their last respects to him on Monday. His body was sent to a local funeral home for cremation under the escort of police vehicles Monday afternoon.

The Zhejiang provincial government has conferred the honorary title of "revolutionary martyr" to commemorate his acts of selflessness, a spokesman with the Hangzhou municipal government said at a press conference Monday.

Meanwhile, he has also been granted the title of "model worker, " the spokesman said.

"All citizens in Hangzhou will be mobilized to learn from Wu," he added.