What’s new: Nine railway workers were killed on Friday when they were hit by a train in Northwest China’s Gansu province.
The accident occurred at 5:18 a.m., according to the rail authority in Gansu. The killed workers were engaged in rail maintenance at the time.
Background: The train involved in the accident, K596, was an ordinary train and not from the country’s better-known high-speed rail network. The line on which it was running is designed for speeds of up to 160 kph (100 mph).
Accidents occur occasionally on China’s rail lines, though nearly all involve its older network of slower trains. Last year saw at least four such derailments, though most didn’t result in any major casualties. One of the most serious accidents occurred in March last year when a train derailed in mountainous Hunan province due to a landslide, leaving one dead and four severely injured.
Related: Train Derails in Southeast China, Third in Three Months
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