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China Bullet Train Crash 'Caused By Design Flaws'
BBC NEWS, CHINA
December 28, 2011: A bullet train crash which killed 40 people in China in July was caused by design flaws and sloppy management, the Chinese government says. Almost 200 people were injured in the crash near the south-eastern city of Wenzhou.
"Missteps" by 54 officials led to the disaster, the long-awaited official report says. The crash led many Chinese to accuse the government of putting development and profit before safety. It also triggered a wave of popular anger against officials who were accused of trying to cover up the seriousness, and causes, of the crash.
After receiving the report, China's cabinet criticized the railways ministry for lax safety standards and poor handling of the crash, according to Reuters.
Lightning strike
Premier Wen Jiabao was presented with the official investigation's conclusions at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. The accident occurred after one train stalled following a lightning strike, and then a second high-speed train ran into it. The report found that serious design flaws in control equipment and improper handling of the lightning strike led to the crash, Reuters says.
More serious penalties could follow for some of the 54 officials criticized in the report.
Following the accident, the authorities called a temporary halt to new high-speed rail projects and placed speed restrictions on trains.
