China’s fast expanding high-speed network of bullet trains have caused the lost of life of at least 35 people and injuring more than 210 in one of the worst accident ever happened in China. A lightning that struck on one bullet train and lost its power and subsequently rear-ended by another train had caused the accident. The accident happened on Saturday in Wenzhou, Zhejian Province, Eastern China.
The two train coaches that collided and fell into a 20-meter high bridge was part of China’s high-speed rail network, an ambitious plans that could reach to 10,000 miles by 2020. The collision happened on a 20-meter bridge that connects the city of Hangzhou, the capital and prosperous city of Zhejiang province, and Fuzhou.
The accident occurred at around 8:27 P.M. Saturday (China Time) involving high-speed train D3115 struck by a lightning and high-speed train D301. The “D Trains” cl(–foul word(s) removed–)ification was China’s first generations trains which runs around 150 km/hr. The other trains were labelled as “G Trains” which travels at around 250 km/hr.
Chinese leaders and higher officials have called on all emergency and rescue workers to do their best to saved the lives of other injured victims of the accident. President Ju Hintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao had called an all-out effort for the rescue and retrieval operations. Minister of Railways Sheng Guangzu had rushed to the control and command center in Beijing and eventually visited personally the place where the accident happened.
Other top government Chinese officials had also rushed to the accident zone for immediate response from the call of the Chinese President and Chinese Prime Minister. Lu Zushan, governor of Zhejiang Province, had arrived at the scene. Meanwhile Hu Yadong and Lu Chunfang, deputy ministers of railways responded also by rushed to the scene.
According to the latest updates as of 9:30 A.M. (China Time) Sunday the death toll have already reached 35 confirmed dead including two foreigners. The report came from the provincial office of China’s Zhejiang Province as reported by Xinhua News Agency.
The accident have now put a doubt unto the efforts of the Chinese government to modernize its m(–foul word(s) removed–) transport system. The safety of the national network was called into question. It was remembered last February that a government official was involved in an anomalous transactions. Railway Minister Liu Zhijun, who spear-headed the expansion, was sacked amid allegations of corruption.