China: Bullet trains collide in Zhejiang province
The Hangzhou to Wenzhou train was close to its destination it hit the other trainAt least 11 people have died and 89 people injured after two high-speed trains crashed into each other in eastern China, state media reports.
Two train coaches fell off a bridge after derailing close to Wenzhou in Zhejiang province.
Details are sketchy but Chinese media report that one of the trains came to a halt after being struck by lightning and was then hit by the second train.
Rescue workers are at the scene, near Shuangyu town in Wenzhou.
It is not known how many people were on the trains at the time, but Xinhua news agency says each carriage can carry 100 people.
Initial reports suggested one bullet train had derailed at about 2030 (1230 GMT) - the D3115 travelling from the provincial capital Hangzhou to Wenzhou.
But local television later said the first train had been forced to stop after losing power due to a lightning strike, and was then rear-ended by another train, causing two of its carriages to fall off the bridge.
"D" trains are the first generation of bullet trains in China, with an average speed of just short of 100mph (160km/h).
China is spending billions on constructing a high-speed rail network.
Last month China inaugurated its Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail link.
The 300 km/h (190mph) train halves the journey time to under five hours.
China is planning to roll out high-speed lines across the country.
But the project has come under fire for its high cost - the Beijing-Shanghai line cost 215bn yuan ($33bn; £21bn).
The BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing says there are also fears corruption has compromised safety in the network's construction.
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At least 11 dead after trains collide in eastern China
BEIJING |
(Reuters) - At least 11 people have died after two high-speed trains crashed into each other in China's eastern province of Zhejiang on Saturday causing two carriages to fall off a bridge, state news agency Xinhua reported.
Another 89 people have been sent to hospital, it added. Each carriage could carry about 100 people, Xinhua said.
The accident occurred after the first train was hit by lightning and lost power, and was then rear-ended by another bullet train, Xinhua added, citing provincial television.
Pictures on state television's main news channel showed one carriage on the ground under the bridge, with another hanging above it.
The government has spent billions of dollars boosting the railway network of the world's most populous country and has said it plans to spend $120 billion (73 billion pounds) a year, over several years, on railway construction.
But the vast network has been hit by a series of scandals and safety incidents over the past few months. Three railway officials have been probed for corruption so far this year, according to local media reports.
In February, Liu Zhijun was sacked as railways minister for "serious disciplinary violations." He had spearheaded the investment drive into the rail sector over the last decade.
The flagship Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail line that opened earlier this month has been plagued by power outages, leaving passengers stranded for hours on stuffy trains on at least three times since it was opened.
The Beijing-Shanghai link is the latest and most feted portion of a network the government hopes will stretch over 45,000 km (28,000 miles) by the end of 2015.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Jacqueline Wong and Jason Subler in Shanghai)
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