China orders 2-month review of train safety
By Li Xinran |
July 27, 2011, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
China has ordered a two-month safety review of its railway operations in the wake of the bullet train crash that killed 39 people and left nearly 200 injured while experts delayed a session to find out what caused the country's most serious rail accident since 2008.
The Railways Ministry said in a statement on its website yesterday that all local railway bureaus were to draw lessons from Saturday's accident in the eastern city of Wenzhou and immediately launch safety inspections. Railway Minister Sheng Guangzu said rail officials would be directed to work on front-line operations during the next two months and to learn from the accident.
He said the safety campaign will extend through the end of September and will focus on high-speed rail and passenger trains. Included will be implementing maintenance standards and reinforcing checks on power connections to pre-empt outages.
Special attention will also be paid to prevent accidents caused by flooding and inclement weather, the minister said.
A bullet train heading for Fuzhou rear-ended another one, with the same destination, that had stalled after a lightning strike knocked out its power in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, on Saturday night.
The four carriages of one train, D301, fell off the viaduct after it rear-ended the D3115, and the last two carriages of D3115 derailed. D3115 was carrying 1,072 passengers, and D301 carrying 558. Both had 16 carriages.
Bodies of all the 39 killed victims have been claimed by their relatives, according to the Wenzhou city government. A government spokesman said the claims were based on ID cards, clothes and other belongings recognized by relatives. DNA tests were to be taken to have all victims' reliably identified, he said.
The government has now begun paying compensation to the victims' families, with the first family accepting 500,000 yuan (US$77,500) offered for each killed passenger.
Police also released for the first time the names of 28 of the dead along with their places of residence and identity card numbers. The list included two foreigners – an Italian and a US citizen.
The investigation team sent by the State Council – China's Cabinet - yesterday postponed a session probing the accident, citing the absence of experts, China National Radio reported. The meeting, scheduled for Tuesday morning at the Shangri-La Hotel in Wenzhou, was put off until today, the report said.
Meanwhile, the train wreckage has been moved to the West Railway Station of Wenzhou. The job started on Monday night and was completed early yesterday, according to the Legal Evening News.
Also yesterday, top Chinese prosecutors arrived in Wenzhou to join the accident probe for any possible criminal offenses, such as abuse of power. Among the railway workers being investigated is the driver of the stalled D3115 train.
The accident, together with other problems on bullet trains, has seriously undermined confidence in the safety of China's high-profile railway network.
The Railways Ministry said in a statement on its website yesterday that all local railway bureaus were to draw lessons from Saturday's accident in the eastern city of Wenzhou and immediately launch safety inspections. Railway Minister Sheng Guangzu said rail officials would be directed to work on front-line operations during the next two months and to learn from the accident.
He said the safety campaign will extend through the end of September and will focus on high-speed rail and passenger trains. Included will be implementing maintenance standards and reinforcing checks on power connections to pre-empt outages.
Special attention will also be paid to prevent accidents caused by flooding and inclement weather, the minister said.
A bullet train heading for Fuzhou rear-ended another one, with the same destination, that had stalled after a lightning strike knocked out its power in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, on Saturday night.
The four carriages of one train, D301, fell off the viaduct after it rear-ended the D3115, and the last two carriages of D3115 derailed. D3115 was carrying 1,072 passengers, and D301 carrying 558. Both had 16 carriages.
Bodies of all the 39 killed victims have been claimed by their relatives, according to the Wenzhou city government. A government spokesman said the claims were based on ID cards, clothes and other belongings recognized by relatives. DNA tests were to be taken to have all victims' reliably identified, he said.
The government has now begun paying compensation to the victims' families, with the first family accepting 500,000 yuan (US$77,500) offered for each killed passenger.
Police also released for the first time the names of 28 of the dead along with their places of residence and identity card numbers. The list included two foreigners – an Italian and a US citizen.
The investigation team sent by the State Council – China's Cabinet - yesterday postponed a session probing the accident, citing the absence of experts, China National Radio reported. The meeting, scheduled for Tuesday morning at the Shangri-La Hotel in Wenzhou, was put off until today, the report said.
Meanwhile, the train wreckage has been moved to the West Railway Station of Wenzhou. The job started on Monday night and was completed early yesterday, according to the Legal Evening News.
Also yesterday, top Chinese prosecutors arrived in Wenzhou to join the accident probe for any possible criminal offenses, such as abuse of power. Among the railway workers being investigated is the driver of the stalled D3115 train.
The accident, together with other problems on bullet trains, has seriously undermined confidence in the safety of China's high-profile railway network.
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