Beijing: Design flaws in railway signal equipment led to the recent fatal high-speed train collision in which 39 people were killed and about 200 injured, Chinese Railways admitted on Thursday.
The accident happened after signal system was struck by lightning at the Wenzhou South Railway station following which it failed to turn the green light to red, resulting in the rear-end collision, said An Lusheng, head of the Shanghai Railway Bureau, at an investigation meeting held by the State Council in Wenzhou.
The signal equipment was designed by a Beijing-based research and design institute and was put into use on September 28, 2009, a state-run Xinhua quoted An as saying.
This is the first time after the accident, the railways came out with an explanation. The accident revealed the railway sector’s vulnerabilities in safety infrastructure and management, An said.
The involved company, Beijing National Railway Research and Design Institute of Signal and Communication, posted an apology on its website, expressing its condolences and regret to victims of the accident and their families.
The July 23 accident has left at least 39 people dead and 192 others injured. Police has released the identities of all the 39 persons killed in the incident.
The dead included three foreigners, an Italian and two Chinese Americans. Pan Yiheng, the driver of the high-speed train D301 that crashed into the rear of another also died after violently hit by the brake handle.
Also, all of the bodies retrieved from the crash site have been claimed by their relatives, police said. Chinese government has announced five million Yuan compensation for the dead.
Last night, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao had set up an investigation panel working to probe the crash. Jiabao said on Thursday that a “serious investigation” was under way and that results would be made public.
“No matter if it was a mechanical fault, a management problem, or a manufacturing problem, we must get to the bottom of this,” Wen said. “If corruption was found behind this, we must handle it according to law and will not be soft. Only in this way can we be fair to those who have died.”
China will severely punish those who are responsible for a train collision that left 39 passengers dead, Premier Wen Jiabao vowed Thursday.
“We will severely punish those who are responsible for the accident and those who hold responsibilities of leadership in accordance with the country’s laws,” Xinhua quoted Wen as saying.
A high-speed train Saturday night rammed into the rear of a stationary train hit by a lightning strike in Wenzhou in Zhejiang province, killing 39 people.
Wen said: “Our investigation must be responsible for the people.”
He said that “punishment would be severe if any corruption was found in the process of investigation”.
A thorough probe into the tragedy will be conducted, Wen said, adding that “only in this way, the victims could rest in peace”.
Wen arrived in Wenzhou in east Zhejiang Province Thursday morning to mourn the victims of the collision. (Agencies)