BEIJING: Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao called for all-out efforts to rescue passengers and ordered to make rescue work a priority after the bullet train derailing accident late Saturday in east China’s Zhejiang Province, Xinhua reported.
Zhou Yongkang, a Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang also instructed relevant departments to manage the rescue work well, according to a statement posted on the website of the Ministry of Railways.
The accident occurred after high-speed train D3115 was hit by lightning and lost drive, and then rear-ended at about 8.30pm last night by another bullet train D301.
By 3.30am this morning, the accident in the city of Wenzhou killed 32 people and injured 191 others.
Right after the accident, Minister of Railways Sheng Guangzu rushed to the ministry’s control and command centre in Beijing to guide the rescue.
Sheng called for immediate and the greatest efforts from the rescue teams to save the injured passengers, and he required an in-depth investigation in the accident.
Lu Zushan, governor of Zhejiang Province, had arrived at the scene.
Hu Yadong and Lu Chunfang, deputy ministers of railways, were also hurriedly going to the scene for rescue work. – Agencies