A high-speed train ran down a group of railway workers in east
China's Shandong Province, leaving 18 dead and nine others injured,
the Ministry of Railway said Friday.
The workers were relocating the tracks when the train ran into
the work site at 8:48 p.m. on Wednesday in the Anqiu City of
Shandong Province.
The injured had been hospitalized and were in a stable condition
and the transportation of the railway had resumed after a short
suspension, according to the ministry's office of publicity.
The railway track adjustment was planned to be carried out from
10:00 p.m. on Wednesday to 1:30 a.m. on Thursday and the trains
passing by were asked to slow down their speed to 45 kilometers per
hour from 9:00 p.m..
However, the workers from the China Railway 16th Group Co., Ltd,
entered the work site ahead of schedule at 8:40 p.m. on Wednesday.
The train, traveling from Beijing to Qingdao, a coastal city of
Shandong, passed the work site at a speed of more than 120
kilometers per hour and caused the tragedy, according to the
office.
Lu Chunfang, vice Railway minister, arrived at Anqiu to direct
the rescue work and investigation into the accident.
(Xinhua News Agency January 25, 2008)