Eighteen people were killed and nine were injured when a high-speed train ploughed into a group of railway workers in Anqiu, Shandong province, the Ministry of Railways said on Friday.

The workers were carrying out repairs when the train ran into them at 8:48 pm on Wednesday.

The work had been scheduled to be done between 10 pm on Wednesday and 1:30 am on Thursday. Trains passing through the work site from 9 pm had been told to lower their speed to 45 kph.

However, the workers from the China Railway 16th Group Co Ltd entered the site at 8:40 pm on Wednesday.

The train, en route from Beijing to Qingdao, was traveling at more than 120 kph as it approached the workers and was unable to stop.

Xinhua

(China Daily 01/26/2008 page1)