Trains collide in eastern China after lightning strike, killing at least 32

Trains collide in eastern China after lightning strike, killing at least 32

2011-07-24 03:15:43 GMT+7 (ICT)

WENZHOU, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- Part of a high-speed bullet train fell off a bridge in eastern China on late Saturday evening after it was hit by a second train when it lost power due to a lightning strike, state-run media reported. At least 32 people were killed.

The accident happened at around 11.20 p.m. local time on a bridge in Wenzhou City of Zhejiang province when a passenger train was hit by lightning, causing it to lose power before it was rear-ended by a second train. The train was en-route from the provincial capital of Hangzhou to the southeastern city of Fuzhou.

As a result of the collision, several carriages of the first train derailed. Photos from the scene showed one carriage on the ground below the bridge while a second carriage was hanging on the bridge with its side heavily damaged. The bridge is about 20 to 30 meters (65 to 98 feet) high.

Xinhua said at least 32 people were confirmed killed in the accident, while more than 100 others were injured. It did not say how many casualties were on the second train, but it is feared the death toll could still rise, especially because many of those injured are reported to be in a critical condition.

The accident comes just a day after another deadly transportation disaster in China. On early Friday morning, a total of 41 people were killed when an overcrowded double-decker bus caught fire on a highway in central China. Six others, including the bus driver, survived.

In mid-August 2010, eleven people were killed when a cargo train derailed at a construction site in northern China. It followed a passenger train derailment in May 2010 which left 19 people killed and more than 70 injured.

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