China Train Crash: Order for Nationwide Review Issued
The high-speed train collision that occurred in China's Zhejiang province last weekend has prompted the Railway Ministry to order a two-month nationwide safety review of China’s entire railway system.
Rail Minister Sheng Guangzu announced Sunday that the review would place special emphasis on high speed and passenger trains systems, according to Chinese paper My Sin Chew. He also apologized for the crash, which claimed 39 lives and injured almost 200 people.
"The July 23 incident has taught us a bitter lesson," Sheng said in a written statement.
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According to BBC News, the inquiry will have railway officials stationed at rail lines all over the country in order to maintain power connections and prevent power outages.
It is said that the crash was prompted by storm winds, which caused a power outage when a blowing iron sheet severed a power line, causing the first train to stall on its tracks.
There have also been reports that a lightning strike hitting the first train caused the outage.
Social media coverage as well as corresponding print coverage have raised questions into why safety standards were not already set in place to prevent such an accident.
The official China Daily newspaper posed the question of why the conductor of the second train was not notified that the first had stalled.
An editorial posted on the Global Times, a tabloid published on the People's Daily, asked, “As the world is experiencing globalization and integration, why can’t China provide the same safety to its people?"
It also cautioned against "hasty finger-pointing" and said that "China's development at this stage cannot be perfect."
China’s rail systems have been criticized in the past for issues with power outages and for putting the notoriety of speed and technology over the safety of its citizens.
The country boasts the longest and fastest rail system in the world, however power outages are a common occurrence. Twenty trains were delayed for over three hours Monday between Beijing and Shanghai due to power outages, according to BBC.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, the Japanese manufacturer of China’s high-speed trains, claims in a Business Insider report that China operates its trains at up to 217 miles per hour, when the maximum recommended speed is 167 mile per hour.
Railway Ministry spokesperson Wang Yongping has defended the speed of the Chinese trains, saying the trains have more advanced technologies than Japanese trains that allow them to be driven at faster speeds.
Even so, users on China’s main social media platform, Sina Wiebo, where news of the crash first broke, continue to call for more accountability for the safety of China’s citizens.
"China, please stop your flying pace, wait for your people, wait for your soul, wait for your morality, wait for your conscience!" one blogger posted. "Walk slowly, allowing every life to have freedom and dignity. No one should be left behind by our era."
