'Collision during seismic equipment test': Test train runs down railway workers in China; 11 killed, 2 injured

A test train crashed into railway workers in China’s southwestern Yunnan province on Thursday, killing 11 and injuring two, in what is being described as the region’s deadliest rail accident in over a decade. The incident reportedly occurred during a seismic- detection equipment test, reported Reuters.

The collision took place at Luoyang Town (Luoyangzhen) railway station in Kunming. According to a statement from the Kunming Railway Bureau, cited by AFP, the train — which was being used to test seismic-detection equipment — struck construction workers who had entered a curved section of the track. The bureau said the train had been “passing normally through a curve” when it hit the workers

According to the South China Morning Post, State broadcaster CCTV, reported that the train involved was Test Train No. 55537. Local railway authorities and the Kunming city government activated an emergency response immediately after the incident, deploying rescue teams and restoring station operations by midday. The injured workers are receiving medical treatment.

The Kunming Railway Authority also posted condolences to the victims’ families on social media.

Officials said that services at the Yunnan station have since returned to normal operations, and that a formal inquiry is still underway to determine the cause and sequence of failures that led to the crash, Reuters reported.