Two trains collide in China killing dozens and injuring hundreds

Monday, April 28, 2008

Two trains collided in Shandong, China 4:41am local time on Monday killing at least 71 people and injuring over 400, including four French citizens. It is still not known exactly how many people were on either of the trains.

The collision occurred in Zibo when one of the trains traveling from Beijing to Qingdao jumped tracks and collided head on with a train traveling in the opposite direction from Yantai to Xuzhou. Both of the trains are reported to have been traveling at their maximum speeds when they collided.

"It toppled 90 degrees to one side and then all the way to the other side. When it finally went off the tracks, many people fell on me and hot water poured out of their thermos flasks," said Zhang, a passenger, to Xinhua.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but reports say that the tracks were broken under the train traveling from Beijing. The tracks are said to have been built in 1897.

Jinan Railway Bureau officials Chen Gong and Chai Tiemin have been fired after the accident. The two top officials who were the former director and former Communist Party chief, respectively, will face an investigation by the Ministry of Railways.

Four Frenchmen were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities named them as Pascal Boisson, 54, his son Pierre Emmanuel Boisson, 14, his daughter Joanne Boisson, 22, and his girlfriend Robin Naurence, 42. No foreigners were killed in the accident, officials said.

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Sources

Bi Mingxin. "Train collision kills at least 70, injures hundreds" — Xinhua, April 28, 2008
"China: deadly train disaster in Shandong" — Spero News, April 28, 2008
"China passenger train collision kills at least 66, injures more than 400" — Canadian Press, April 28, 2008
"Train wreck in eastern China kills dozens, injures nearly 250" — CBC News, April 28, 2008
Jane Macartney. "Scores of people killed in worst China train crash in a decade" — Times Online, April 28, 2008
Anita Chang. "Train collision kills 66 in China" — Associated Press, April 28, 2008

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Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.