China to Name Names in Report on Bullet Train Crash

Posted August 23rd, 2011 at 4:45 am (UTC-5)
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Chinese authorities say a report due in mid-September will identify individuals responsible for the deadly crash of two bullet trains in the eastern province of Zhejiang one month ago.

A spokesman for the State Administration of Work Safety said Tuesday the report will also identify the direct cause of the crash.

Forty people were killed and another 190 injured on July 23 when a bullet train traveling through the city of Wenzhou crashed into another train that had stalled on the tracks.

A preliminary investigation revealed flaws in the railway signaling equipment and an inappropriate response by railway staff. Authorities announced Tuesday they have begun a more detailed inspection of all the nation's high-speed trains and rail lines.

China has poured billions of dollars into its scandal-plagued bullet train network, prompting critics to complain that Beijing has sacrificed safety in its quest for rapid economic growth.

Last month's crash prompted an unusual outpouring of public anger on social media and even in the normally supportive state-controlled press.