BEIJING — 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.
Early today, 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 in Wenzhou city, Xinhua said.
Photos taken at the scene show 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.”
The trains involved are “D” trains, the first-generation bullet train with an average speed of about 95 mph 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.
