Death toll in east China train collision rises to 35

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MOSCOW (RIA Novosti)- The death toll in a collision between two high-speed trains in east China's Zhejiang province has risen to 35 people while the number of those injured in the incident stands at 210, official news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday, referring to rescuers. Earlier reports said the train collision killed 32 and injured 100 people.

Video footage

The collision occurred on Saturday afternoon Moscow time, when the first train, en route from the city of Hangzhou to Wenzhou was struck by lightning and later hit from behind by another train, travelling from Beijing to Fuzhou in eastern China. Six coaches of the two trains derailed as a result and two more fell from a 20-meter viaduct.

Safety of high-speed trains in China have come into spotlight in the past few weeks after at least three trains on a newly launched Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail link were delayed due to power failure or lightning strikes.