China metro crash injures more than 260

Two metro trains collided in Shanghai yesterday, injuring more than 260 people, the city government said, just months after a deadly high-speed rail crash that shocked China

China metro crash injures more than 260

Two metro trains collided in Shanghai yesterday, injuring more than 260 people, the city government said, just months after a deadly high-speed rail crash that shocked China.

The Shanghai Metro Company blamed the accident on a signal failureu00a0-- the same cause as a July high-speed train crash that killed at least 40 people and shook public confidence in China's vast rail network, prompting outrage.

There were no immediate reports of any deaths from yesterday's accident, but pictures posted on Chinese websites showed bloodied passengers, some lying on the floor apparently unconscious and others with head injuries.

Search and Rescue: Officials evacuate an elderly man injured in a
subway train collision in Shanghai yesterday. No fatalities were reported
in the accident. Pic/afp

The metro company said 500 passengers had been evacuated from the trains and the injured taken to hospital.

Around 50 went to the nearby Ruijin hospital, where a doctor said most of the victims were only slightly hurt.

"This accident shouldn't have happened," said Wen Pei, a passenger in the hospital's emergency room, his arm in a sling from a shoulder injury.

"The speed seemed fast. I felt a sudden stop, which made me lose my balance. I hit my head on the pole and it bled," said another victim, without giving his name.

The Shanghai government said it was investigating the accident, which appeared to have been caused by equipment failure.

"So far, more than 260 people have been sent to hospital, but no one is dead," said a government spokeswoman. "We have set up a team to investigate."