The incident occurred on November 27, at Lac Duong town station in Kon Minh city (Van Nam province), when a train was testing equipment to detect a sudden earthquake that crashed into a group of railway workers.
The accident killed 11 people and injured two, making it the most serious railway accident in China in more than 10 years, according to local officials. The terminal in Yunnan province has returned to normal operations, while the cause of the incident is still being investigated.
China's rail network is currently the world's largest rail network, with more than 160,000km in length and billions of movements per year. Although highly appreciated for its effectiveness, this system has faced many notable incidents.
In 2011, a collision in Zhejiang Province killed 40 people and injured 200 others. In 2021, a train in Gansu province crashed into a group of employees working on the Lan Chau - Xinjiang route, killing 9 people.
The latest accident is causing many questions from the public about safety procedures during equipment testing as well as the protection of workers on the railway. Chinese authorities said they are urgently investigating the entire development to determine responsibility and prevent similar dramas in the future.
