Train derails due to landslides in China; casualties feared

BEIJING - A passenger train travelling from Shanghai to Guilin city in China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region derailed Sunday after being hit by landslides near a mountainous area, officials said. Casualties are feared.

The train, bound for Guilin, derailed at around 2.10 a.m. in Jiangxi province’s Fuzhou city, Xinhua quoted the Ministry of Railways as saying.

The ministry said though it was not known exactly how many people were on board, at least three people were killed and 10 passengers were injured. Rescuers, however, said at least 20 injured passengers have been saved. Four people in serious conditions were rushed to hospital.

Eight of the 17 carriages of the train derailed and some even overturned. One carriage was twisted and crushed another.

Most parts of Jiangxi, along with its neighbouring provinces, were drenched by heavy rain in the past few days. Farms were destroyed, low-lying villages and towns flooded, and at least four reservoirs were forced to release fast-rising water.

Over 1.46 million people have been affected in the province, with 44,000 already being evacuated out of the danger zone, local authorities said.