Train tragedy in China, 35 killed

Tragedy struck China as a bullet train crashed into another high-speed train in the eastern part of the country on Sunday. The high-impact collision caused four carriages to fall off a viaduct and resulted in the death of 35 people and injured 191 others.

It was the first derailment on China's high-speed rail network since the country launched bullet trains in 2007 with a top speed of 155 miles (250 kilometres) per hour, the China Daily reported.

In this picture, a man sits by the wreckage of the train accident in Wenzhou in east China's Zhejiang province, Sunday, July 24, 2011. A Chinese bullet train crashed into another high-speed train that had stalled after being struck by lightning Saturday in eastern China, causing four carriages to fall off a viaduct. (AP Photo)

The first train was traveling south from the Zhejiang provincial capital of Hangzhou when it lost power in the lightning strike and was hit from behind by the second train in Wenzhou city at 8:27 p.m. (1230 GMT) Saturday, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The second train had left Beijing and both trains were destined for Fuzhou in eastern Fujian province.

The Ministry of Railways said in a statement that the first four carriages of the moving train and the last two carriages of the stalled train derailed.

In this photo released by China's Xinhua news agency, a rescuer takes a picture of a train accident in Wenzhou, eastern China, Sunday, July 24, 2011. A Chinese bullet train crashed into another high-speed train that had stalled after being struck by lightning Saturday, causing four carriages to fall off a viaduct. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Ju Huanzong)

An official in the Zhejiang provincial emergency office said that 35 people had died, including one foreign female. He said her nationality was not clear. A further 191 people were being treated at hospitals, said the official, who gave only his surname, Hua, as is common with Chinese officials.

In this picture, emergency workers and people work to help passengers from the wreckage of train after two carriages from a high-speed train derailed and fell off a bridge in Wenzhou in east China's Zhejiang province Saturday July 23, 2011. (AP Photo)

Early Sunday, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao called for an all-out effort to rescue passengers still trapped in the wreckage hours after the collision, Xinhua said. China Central Television later said the search-and-rescue operation had ended by 4 a.m. Sunday.

In this picture, emergency workers and others carry an injured passenger, at left, from the wreckage of one of two train carriages knocked off a bridge following the train crash in Wenzhou in east China's Zhejiang province, Saturday, July 23, 2011. A Chinese bullet train lost power after being struck by lightning and was hit from behind by another train, knocking two of its carriages off a bridge, killing at least 35 people and injuring 191, state media reported. (AP Photo)

A preliminary investigation by the Zhejiang provincial government showed that four coaches of the moving train fell off the viaduct, Xinhua said. The cars plunged about 65 to 100 feet (20 to 30 meters) from the elevated section of track, it said.

Photos taken at the scene showed one badly damaged car lying on its side by the viaduct and another car leaning against the viaduct after landing on its end.

In this picture, emergency workers and civilians search for passengers from the wreckage of the train crash in Wenzhou in east China's Zhejiang province, Saturday, July 23, 2011. A Chinese bullet train lost power after being struck by lightning and was hit from behind by another train, knocking two of its carriages off a bridge, killing at least 35 people and injuring 191, state media reported. (AP Photo)

It was China's worst train accident since April 2008, when a train traveling from Beijing to the eastern coastal city of Qingdao derailed and crashed into another train, leaving 72 people dead and another 416 injured.

In this picture, Chinese firefighters rescue survivors after a Chinese high-speed train derailed and two of its carriages fell off a bridge after a lightning strike knocked out power on the line on July 23, 2011, as the train was travelling between the cities of Hangzhou and Wenzhou, in eastern China's Zhejiang province. The train went off the rails around 8:30pm (1230 GMT), Xinhua news agency reported, citing local firefighting sources, that at least 35 people were killed and 191 people were injured. (AFP Photo)

China has spent billions of dollars and plans more massive spending to link the country with a high-speed rail network. Power outages and other malfunctions have plagued the showcase high-speed line between Beijing and Shanghai since it opened June 30.

Official plans call for China's bullet train network to expand to 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometres) of track this year and 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometres) by 2020.

In this photo released by China's Xinhua news agency, a rescuer takes a picture of a train accident in Wenzhou, eastern China, Sunday, July 24, 2011. A Chinese bullet train crashed into another high-speed train that had stalled after being struck by lightning Saturday, causing four carriages to fall off a viaduct. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Ju Huanzong)