China official detained after fatal train crash

Beijing: An order has been released to detain a former senior Chinese railway official in connection with a deadly train crash last month, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

Xinhua said the move to detain Guo Jiguang, the former executive deputy director of the Jinan Railway Bureau, suggests he could face criminal charges.

In the April 28 accident, an express train travelling from Beijing to Qingdao derailed and collided with another train, killing 72 people and injuring 416 others.

Chinese media had reported that eight rail officials were dismissed after the accident, including the bureau's director and Communist Party chief.