A collision between two passenger trains in Heping County in south China's Guangdong Province yesterday resulted in the deaths of two men and injuries to many travelers.

The No 1017 train, en-route from Wuchang in Hubei Province to Shantou in Guangdong, was struck from behind by express train No T159 which was traveling from Qingdao in Shandong Province to Guangzhou in Guangdong Province. The accident happened at the end of the Ma'an Tunnel in Linzhai Town, Heping County at 9:32 AM yesterday.

Heping is in the city of Heyuan in northeastern Guangdong. The accident happened on a stretch of track linking Beijing and Kowloon in Hong Kong, according to a statement from the Ministry of Railways.

Four rear carriages of train No 1017 were derailed including one which was knocked over. The engine of the No T159 train was damaged.

Approximately 40 passengers and a number of rails workers were treated at local hospitals for injuries, said a local official. Those seriously hurt were transferred to Heping County People's Hospital. Six travelers were seriously injured but not in a critical condition, the local official said. He added that the identities of those killed and injured were not yet available.

Local government used buses to move more than 700 other passengers from the accident scene.

The cause of the collision was under investigation as rescue workers cleared the site and repaired the damaged railway.

(China Daily April 12, 2006)