Ten killed as train derails in eastern China

Rescuers work at the site where a passenger train derailed in Dongxiang County on Sunday. Photo: AP/Xinhua

At least 10 people were killed and 55 injured when a train got derailed in a mountainous area of eastern China after it was hit by a landslide.

The train, which was heading from Shanghai to the tourist city of Guilin in southern China derailed at around 2:10 am today in Jiangxi province, state-run Xinhua news agency said.

The locomotive and eight of the train’s 17 carriages derailed and some were overturned, Xinhua said quoting its reporters from the scene.

Though the exact number of passengers travelling was not known, but more than 280 passengers were evacuated from the train.

According to Xinhua, around 150 firefighters and rescue officials were sent to the scene of the accident.

Much of Jiangxi province has been hit by heavy rains that have pounded wide areas of southern and eastern China in recent days.