Passengers say seatbelts, other aids would help
By Dong Zhen |
July 27, 2011, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
IN the aftermath of Saturday's train crash, many survivors said they could have avoided bruises and more severe injuries if they had been restrained with seatbelts, and they urged their installation on trains.
Some also suggested that railway authorities take another page from the airline industry by instituting basic safety protocols.
"The bullet train is also traveling at a fast speed, like the planes," said a passenger surnamed Sun. "So safety training is also very important to reduce injuries under emergencies."
"There's no training of emergency escapes before the journey started," she added. "The crew seemed to be more keen on selling beverages and pokers just as usual on normal trains instead of keeping an eye to inform passengers of safety issues."
Medical workers from Kangning Hospital in Wenzhou told the Xinhua news agency that the number of injuries and deaths could have been cut in half if safety belts had been used on the crashed trains.
Many victims were injured or killed by being thrown out of their seats and slammed into hard objects, the doctors and nurses said. Most of the patients admitted to the hospital suffered head, chest and waist bruises and traumas.
Escape facilities also came under criticism. One passenger and survivor, Liu Yixin, recalled, "We went through great efforts to finally find a safety hammer. And the three of us tried by turn, but none of us was able to crack the window open."
He urged authorities to check the quality of the window glass and equip the train with more safety hammers, and he questioned why it was so difficult for them to crack the windows, a crucial means for passengers to escape.
Some passengers who managed to climb out of the carriages by themselves reported they were stranded on the bridge because there was no safe way to walk down. They reported that the two emergency escape walkways along the viaduct, where the crash took place, were so dilapidated from aging that it was too dangerous to walk on them.
Many Chinese engineers have also said the government needs to reconsider how high-speed train facilities are built.
Some also suggested that railway authorities take another page from the airline industry by instituting basic safety protocols.
"The bullet train is also traveling at a fast speed, like the planes," said a passenger surnamed Sun. "So safety training is also very important to reduce injuries under emergencies."
"There's no training of emergency escapes before the journey started," she added. "The crew seemed to be more keen on selling beverages and pokers just as usual on normal trains instead of keeping an eye to inform passengers of safety issues."
Medical workers from Kangning Hospital in Wenzhou told the Xinhua news agency that the number of injuries and deaths could have been cut in half if safety belts had been used on the crashed trains.
Many victims were injured or killed by being thrown out of their seats and slammed into hard objects, the doctors and nurses said. Most of the patients admitted to the hospital suffered head, chest and waist bruises and traumas.
Escape facilities also came under criticism. One passenger and survivor, Liu Yixin, recalled, "We went through great efforts to finally find a safety hammer. And the three of us tried by turn, but none of us was able to crack the window open."
He urged authorities to check the quality of the window glass and equip the train with more safety hammers, and he questioned why it was so difficult for them to crack the windows, a crucial means for passengers to escape.
Some passengers who managed to climb out of the carriages by themselves reported they were stranded on the bridge because there was no safe way to walk down. They reported that the two emergency escape walkways along the viaduct, where the crash took place, were so dilapidated from aging that it was too dangerous to walk on them.
Many Chinese engineers have also said the government needs to reconsider how high-speed train facilities are built.
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