Collapse a further blow to railway

A section of a high-speed railway line that had already undergone test runs has collapsed in central China following heavy rains, the latest accident since a crash last summer that killed 40 people.

The official Xinhua News Agency did not mention casualties in its report on the collapse of a 300-metre section of the railway line.

It said hundreds of workers were rushing to repair the line between the Yangtze River cities of Wuhan and Yichang.

The railway line is due to open in May.

China has reaffirmed its intention to push ahead with the fast-paced buildup of the high-speed rail system, despite financial difficulties and worries safety may have been compromised in the rush to open new lines.