4 killed, dozens injured after train derails in GuangXi

Source: Xinhua  |   2009-7-29  |     ONLINE EDITION

FOUR passengers died and 34 were injured after a train derailed in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region early today due to a rain-triggered landslide, authorities said.

Train 1473, from Xiangfan of central Hubei Province to Zhanjiang of Guangdong Province, derailed at 4:22am in a narrow valley in Liuzhou City of Guangxi. The locomotive and its first four sleeper cars derailed, said the Nanning Railway Bureau.

Of the 34 injured, 11 are in serious condition, said Xiang Jun, a government official in Liuzhou. Two of the injured are in critical condition.

Most of the injured have been transferred to four hospitals in Liuzhou with better facilities.

The remaining passengers - approximately 1,400 - were taken to nearby railway stations or Liuzhou to continue their travel plans, Xiang said.

Several hundred workers are clearing rock and debris from the line and are using a large crane to lift damaged cars away from the track, the rest of the railway cars were removed by a rescue train.

The railway route linking Jiaozuo, central Henan Province to Liuzhou, was cut off. The route is expected to resume traffic before 6pm today.

Guangxi regional government Chairman Ma Biao and Vice Chairman Yang Daoxi arrived at the scene to direct rescue operation this morning.

Heavy rain has hit the northern and central parts of Guangxi from Monday to early today.

On June 29, two passenger trains collided in central Hunan Province due to a brake failure, leaving three people dead and 63 others injured.