The high-speed train crash in China last weekend killed 39 people and injured more than 200. The preliminary finding is that a train stalled due to lightening strike and had a faulty signal system, which failed to signal the second train that was 10 minutes behind. When the second train rear-ended the front train at a high speed, it derailed and caused 4 cars to plunge about 20-30 meters from the viaduct to the ground.
The accident has caused a public outcry of government corruption. Many have alleged that some Chinese government officials put economical development above the safety of the people. Some have even questioned if the bullet train project is the right choice of future transportation in China.
I think the Chinese government did not handle the accident very well. First of all, a two-year-old girl was found alive after local officials declared the search and rescue mission was complete. It was not a miracle, but a botched rescue operation. Secondly, damaged cars were buried too hastily. It was obvious that officials did not want people to see the wreckage for too long because they felt it was an eyesore to let the wreckage lie there, but they forgot that China is not a press free county and what they did made people suspicious. Was the government trying to cover up more sinuous things? There were rumors flying around that some people were buried alive because the government tried to minimize the number of casualties. Only sickos would think that way.
Is it the political system that was the cause of the accident? I doubt it! Accidents happen all the time at every corner of the world. A few weeks ago, two trains that were derailed in India killed nearly 40 people and injured more than 200. Only three years before that, a train crash killed 38 people, also in India! It seems like democracy could not save the Indians from accidents.
The unfortunate accident is going to have great repercussion in high-speed train development in China and beyond. It is a big bow to national pride because the high-speed rail system is a symbol of a rising Chinese economy and technological prowess, and to the future of exporting the high-speed rail system technology to world markets.