BEIJING (AP) -- A Chinese bullet train crashed into another high-speed train that had stalled after being struck by lightning Saturday in eastern China, causing four carriages to fall off a viaduct and killing at least 33 people and injuring 190 others, state media reported.
The first train was traveling from the Zhejiang provincial capital of Hangzhou when it lost power in the lightning strike and was hit from behind by the second train in Wenzhou city at 8:27 p.m. (1230 GMT), the official Xinhua News Agency said.
The provincial emergency office told Xinhua that at least 33 people were killed and 190 injured.
Early Sunday, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao called for an all-out effort to rescue passengers still trapped in the wreckage hours after the collision, Xinhua said.
A preliminary investigation by the Zhejiang provincial government showed that four coaches of the moving train fell off the viaduct, Xinhua said. The cars plunged about 65 to 100 feet (20 to 30 meters) from the elevated section of track, it said.
Photos taken at the scene showed one badly damaged car lying on its side by the viaduct and another car leaning against the viaduct after landing on its end.
Xinhua quoted an unidentified witness as saying, ``Rescuers have dragged many passengers out of the coach that fell on the ground.''
Minister of Railways Sheng Guangzu, who was heading to the accident scene, ordered an in-depth investigation of the accident, Xinhua said.
The trains involved are ``D'' trains _ first-generation bullet trains with an average speed of about 95 miles (150 kilometers) per hour and not as fast as the new Beijing-Shanghai line.
China has spent billions of dollars and plans more massive spending to link the country with a high-speed rail network. Power outages and other malfunctions have plagued the showcase high-speed line between Beijing and Shanghai since it opened June 30.
Official plans call for China's bullet train network to expand to 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers) of track this year and 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) by 2020.
The huge spending connected with the rail expansion also has been blamed for corruption. Railways Minister Liu Zhijun was dismissed this spring amid an investigation into unspecified corruption allegations.
No details have been released about the allegations against him, but news reports say they include kickbacks, bribes, illegal contracts and sexual liaisons.
(한글관련기사)
中 고속열차 추락 사고 220여명 사상
중국 남동부 저장(浙江)성 원저우(溫州)의 고속열차 사고로 인한 사상자가 급증하고 있다.
24일 신화통신 등에 따르면 전날 오후 8시34분(현지시간) 원저우 솽위 마을에서 고속열차의 일종인 둥처(動車) D3115호의 탈선으로 인한 추락사고로 33명이 사망하 고 190명이 병원으로 옮겨져 치료를 받고 있다.
전날 사고 직후 사상자는 사망 11명, 부상 89명으로 집계됐으나 사상자 수가 시 간이 지나면서 불어나고 있다.
또 탈선해 고가다리 아래로 추락한 고속열차 객차 수도 처음 알려진 두량보다 많은 네량이며 이들 추락 객차의 탑승인원도 400명으로 추산되고 있어 사상자 수가 더 늘어날 것으로 우려되고 있다.
전날 저장성 성도인 항저우(杭州)를 출발해 푸젠(福建)성 푸저우(福州)로 향하 던 둥처 D3115호는 사고 직전 벼락을 맞아 동력을 상실하고 정차해 있다 뒤따라 오 던 다른 둥처 D301호와 추돌해 네량이 탈선, 20~30m 높이의 고가 아래로 추락한 것 으로 파악됐다.
중국 후진타오(胡錦濤) 국가주석과 원자바오(溫家寶) 총리는 이번 사고와 관련 해 피해 구조에 모든 노력을 다하라고 지시했으며 원저우의 인민군과 공안, 교통경 찰, 소방, 무장경찰, 위생, 전력 부문의 관계자들이 현장으로 총출동해 구조작업을 벌이고 있다.
