China blames speeding for horrific train accident

Beijing: Chinese authorities have blamed excessive speed as the reason for the horrific train accident that killed at least 70 people in China on Monday.

After an initial investigation, the head of National Safety Authority, Wang Jun, was quoted by the Xinhua news agency as saying one of the trains was involved in “serious excessive speeding''.

The train was travelling much over the speed limit at the time of the accident, Wang said, adding that work safety is not understood in some railway operators.

Twenty-six of the dead have been identified but no details were given. Hundreds of passengers were taken to hospitals and 70 are in critical condition.