In China, a Bullet Train Crash, Safety Controversy, and a Toddler
The big news out of China, of course, is the high-speed train crash which occurred near the Zhejiang Province city of Wenzhouon July 23rd. You’ve probably read all about it already, but just to sum up: Thirty-nine people were killed and 192 injured when a bullet train lost power due to a lightening strike and was subsequently struck from behind by a second bullet train. The front train was incapacitated on a viaduct when the collision occurred, causing four passenger coach cars to tumble from the elevated structure. The incident has caused a firestorm of controversy about bullet train safety in China. Families of the dead and injured are practically screaming for an exhaustive investigation of the tragedy. So far, the one bright spot in all of this is the miraculous survival of a 2 1/2-year-old girl, who was pulled from the train wreckage nearly 24 hours after the horrific crash. After word of the rescue spread, news of girl’s condition was dire due to an injury the tot suffered which left one of her legs badly mangled. However, as of yesterday Chinese doctors believe the child’s leg can be saved. Horrible news about the crash, yes, but in the end another amazing story about the resilience of even the smallest of us. (San Francisco Chronicle – Preliminary China Train Crash Story) You can read a short report about the rescued toddler here.