WENZHOU — 2011 · Major Tragedy
The Wenzhou High-Speed Train Collision
At 8:34 p.m. on 23 July 2011, near the city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province, a signalling system damaged by lightning showed the line on a viaduct as clear, and high-speed train D301 ran into the back of train D3115, which had stopped. Several carriages fell from the viaduct; 40 people died and more than 190 were injured. The authorities' hasty burial of damaged carriages at the scene drew accusations of a cover-up, and the rescue of a small child from the wreckage after the search had been declared over fuelled public anger. The official report released in December 2011 pointed to design flaws in signalling equipment and management failures, holding 54 officials, including a former railway minister, responsible.
- Date
- 2011
- Place
- Lucheng, Zhejiang, Wenzhou, CN
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 27.9700, 120.5700 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 23 July 2011, 8:34 p.m.Train D301 ran into the back of D3115, stopped on a viaduct.
- 24 July 2011The burial of damaged carriages at the scene drew criticism.
- 24 July 2011A child was pulled alive from the wreckage after rescue work was declared over.
- 28 December 2011The official report cited design flaws and the responsibility of 54 officials.
Sources
- BBC News — China bullet train crash 'caused by design flaws' bbc.com ↗
- The Guardian — Chinese rail crash cover-up claims theguardian.com ↗
- Wikipedia — Wenzhou train collision en.wikipedia.org ↗
- BBC News
- The Guardian
- Wikipedia (EN)
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
Related Cases
More cases from the 2010s
Categories
Collections
🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.