WENZHOU, China, July 24 (UPI) -- China's Railway Ministry apologized Sunday for the deadly crash of a high-speed train into a stalled train and dismissed three officials.
In the Saturday night collision on a viaduct near Wenzhou city in eastern Zhejiang province, the D301 bullet train rear-ended the stalled D3115 train, causing the first four cars of the moving train to fall off the viaduct, Xinhua news agency reported. Two cars of the stalled train also derailed.
The crash killed at least 35 people and injured 192 people, among whom at least 12 people remained in critical condition. D301 was carrying 558 people and there were 1,072 people on the D3115.
The incident threatens to impact the multibillion-dollar, high-speed rail industry China has been showcasing to the rest of world as a symbol of its spectacular economic growth, though experts also have been cautioning the need for ensuring safety within the industry. Official corruption also has been a major problem.The latest addition to the industry is the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed system, which opened early this month.
The ministry said an initial investigation showed the D3115 train had stalled after losing power due to a lightning strike.
Ministry spokesman Wang Yongping in his apology said the accident caused a large number of casualties and great property losses, and promised the ministry would take measures to prevent such accidents.
"China's high-speed train is advanced and qualified. We have confidence in it," Wang said, while also admitting the system has only operated for a short period, and is confronted with many new situations and problems, Xinhua reported.
"Safety should be put as the top priority," Wang said.
He said the damaged rails have since been repaired and the ministry is ready to resume operation after the current stormy weather passes.
Wang said the three dismissed officials would be subject to investigation. They included Long Jing, head of the Shanghai Railway Bureau; Li Jia, head of the Shanghai railway bureau's committee of the Communist Party of China, and He Shengli, deputy chief of the bureau, the report said.
The ministry also ordered an immediate country-wide overhaul of the railways and train safety.
Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang had arrived at the accident site to direct rescue efforts and help with an investigation.
A child was rescued from the wreckage of Sunday after being found unconscious and was taken to a hospital.
"When we found him, he could still move his hands," said a firefighter.
