Two Chinese bullet trains have collided, causing two carriages to fall 60ft from an elevated line and killing at least 33 passengeers in the first major accident on the country’s high-speed rail network.
The Chinese D train derailed with two of its carriages falling off a bridge
Chinese rescuers work around the wreckage of train cars in Wenzhou in east China's Zhejiang province. Photo: AP
The accident on Saturday night in Shuangyu, close to the city of Wenzhou on China's east coast, occurred when the first train was apparently hit by lightning, knocking out its power and bringing it to a halt.
The lightning strike also appears to have disabled the line's safety system, and another bullet train then hit it from behind. The impact derailed six coaches and sent two of them crashing over the side of the elevated track to fall 60ft to the ground below.
The provincial emergency office told Xinhua that the current death toll is 33, with 190 people injured. At least 200 people would have been sitting in the two carriages that fell, and the death toll is likely to rise further.
China's Railways minister was reported to have flown directly to the scene and queues of people formed hours after the accident to donate blood for the victims.
According to a local radio station in Zhejiang, which had reporters on the scene, one of the carriages had broken in two upon hitting the ground. Pan Yiheng, the driver of the second train, D301 from Beijing to Fuzhou, was hailed for managing to trigger the emergency brake on his train just before the crash. He died after the brake handle stabbed him in the chest.
A passenger on the train, who sent a short message using Sina Weibo, a Chinese micro-blogging service, said: "About 8.35pm the carriage suddenly shot forward at high speed. Luckily I was sitting down. The train slid for five to six minutes and then the whole carriage went pitch black and listed to the left. After ten minutes the train staff asked us to slowly exit the train. We walked out slowly on the muddy road by Xi'ao mountain".
Other passengers using Sina Weibo appealed for help. One said: "I can see the carriages that fell. I would probably have died if I had been sitting in them."
The stretch of line between Hangzhou and Fuzhou, on which the trains were running, was completed in 2009 and is one of the eight high-speed rail corridors that form the backbone of China's network. However, the line carries both passengers and freight, which limits the top speed of the trains, and the two trains were not from the vaunted third generation of trains that have been unveiled in the past year and can hit speeds of up to 220mph on special lines.
China's ambitious high-speed rail network has come under sustained criticism in recent weeks for delays, safety concerns, high ticket prices and corruption. In June, China reduced the top speed of its high-speed trains, but insisted that they were safe. The new Beijing to Shanghai link, which opened at the end of June, has been plagued by power cuts and delays, despite costing 220 billion yuan. In February, Liu Zhijun, the Chinese Railways minister who was in charge of rolling out the high-speed network, was arrested on suspicion of corruption.
Other passengers using Sina Weibo appealed for help. One said: "I can see the carriages that fell. I would probably have died if I had been sitting in them."
The stretch of line between Hangzhou and Fuzhou, on which the trains were running, was completed in 2009 and is one of the eight high-speed rail corridors that form the backbone of China's network. However, the line carries both passengers and freight, which limits the top speed of the trains, and the two trains were not from the vaunted third generation of trains that have been unveiled in the past year and can hit speeds of up to 220mph on special lines.
China's ambitious high-speed rail network has come under sustained criticism in recent weeks for delays, safety concerns, high ticket prices and corruption. In June, China reduced the top speed of its high-speed trains, but insisted that they were safe. The new Beijing to Shanghai link, which opened at the end of June, has been plagued by power cuts and delays, despite costing 220 billion yuan. In February, Liu Zhijun, the Chinese Railways minister who was in charge of rolling out the high-speed network, was arrested on suspicion of corruption.
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