China train disaster blamed on speeding

Two trains slammed into each other near Zibo in the easternprovince of Shandong on Monday. Hundreds of passengers are inhospitals across the area and, with about 70 in a criticalcondition, the number of dead could rise.

The official Xinhua news agency quoted Wang Jun, head ofthe National Safety Authority, as saying that preliminaryinvestigations indicated one train was involved in "seriousexcessive speeding".

Wang said the train was travelling at 131 kph (81 mph) atthe time of the accident, on a section of line where the speedlimit was 80 kph (49 mph), Xinhua reported.

"This fully exposes that an understanding of work safety isnot in place in some railway operating businesses," Wang said.

Of the dead, 26 had so far been identified, Xinhua said. Itdid not give details.

China's worst train accident since 1997 came as thegovernment strives to make the country secure for the BeijingOlympics in August.

Local railway officials have already been sacked and statemedia reported that a senior prosecutor had gone to the sceneto investigate possible dereliction of duty.

More than 1,200 paramilitary troops, police and officialshad also gathered to help the rescue and "maintain order", theTa Kung Pao, a mainland-run Hong Kong newspaper, reported.

Zhang Lin, an athlete who was on the train from Beijing tothe Shandong coastal city Qingdao, said she was jolted awakeearly on Monday morning and thrown out of the carriage windowby the force of the crash, the China Daily reported.

The carriage came to rest inches from her feet.

"One more roll by the carriages could have crushed me," shetold the paper from hospital, where she is being treated forfractures and bruising. "From that moment on, I dare not closemy eyes."

(Reporting by Chris Buckley; Editing by Nick Macfie)