Signal fault blamed for Chinese rail disaster

CHINESE AUTHORITIES have blamed a serious flaw in signalling equipment for a deadly bullet train crash that killed 39 people and injured 192, as premier Wen Jiabao was brought in to soothe public anger at the government’s inept handling of the disaster.

Known as “Grandpa Wen” for his comforting appearances at times of national stress, Mr Wen promised a full and frank investigation into Saturday’s wreck, the country’s deadliest train accident since 2008.

Visiting the scene of the disaster near Wenzhou in eastern China, Mr Wen said safety was a top priority and anyone found to have shirked their duty would be severely punished. Three rail officials have already been fired.

“The country’s development is for the people, so the most important thing is the safety of people’s lives,” Mr Wen told a news conference near the viaduct where four carriages tumbled into the water after the crash.

First though Grandpa Wen had to explain his own absence from the scene for nearly a week. There have been many angry postings online that the high-speed rail project had been rushed through at the expense of safety concerns, and there are suspicions that the cause of the crash is being covered up to stop the project’s reputation suffering severe damage.

“Some journalists asked me how come I always show up immediately at the accident scene, but this time I came on the sixth day,” Mr Wen told a news conference. “I want to let you know the truth – that I was sick and lay on my sick bed for 11 days. The doctor only reluctantly let me go out today.

News that Mr Wen was suffering an unspecified illness, coming so soon after speculation about the health of former leader Jiang Zemin, has also caused some ruffles among China-watchers.

Officials said earlier that the crash was caused when faulty equipment stopped a green light from turning to red after a lightning strike stopped a train on a high-speed line near Wenhou. This caused a second high-speed train to smash into the rear of the first train, derailing six carriages.

The investigators said rail workers should have intervened manually after the equipment failed.

More than 100 angry relatives gathered outside the railway station demanding an explanation, in scenes of public anger similar to those seen after the Sichuan earthquake caused a number of shoddily built schools to collapse.

Just as during the earthquake in 2008, the government reaction has also caused public anger.

Chinese websites and newspapers have been ordered to stop carrying criticisms of the rail project or of the country’s rail system after the accident.

There were angry online postings after revelations that it was discovered that authorities had buried some of the wreckage rather than moving it for investigation. While the government said it was to help with the rescue effort, online users suspected a cover-up.

Even the government’s main organ, the People’s Daily, was critical of the rescue effort, saying the authorities were too quick to call off the search for survivors. It pointed out how a two-year-old girl was found alive hours after the search was ordered to be ended.

The government has ordered a two-month safety campaign for the rail system and launched an intensive investigation.

China’s high-speed rail network has seen massive investment in recent years. It is already the second-largest in the world and is set to be expanded, and the government hopes to sell its technology abroad.

However, there are fears among the populace that the project is rife with corruption.

“If corruption was found behind this, we must handle it according to law and will not be soft,” Mr Wen said. Among the victims were three foreigners – two Americans and an Italian.