China said on Wednesday it would punish a former Railway Minister and 53 other officials following a long-awaited investigation into July’s high-speed train collision, which left at least 40 people dead.
The final investigation report found “flaws in the train operation control system” and blamed an “inadequate emergency response of railway authorities” for leading to the disaster, which triggered widespread public anger and calls for stricter safety standards.
An executive meeting of the State Council, or Cabinet, on Wednesday said 54 people would be given “disciplinary punishment”, the State-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Among the officials was Liu Zhijun, the former Railways Minister, who had spearheaded the rapid expansion of China’s high-speed rail network, today the world’s biggest. Mr. Liu was subsequently found guilty of corruption and removed from his job over a “severe violation of discipline.”
