BEIJING, CHINA – President Xi Jinping of China has called for an “all-out” emergency response as the nation battles chilling weather conditions. A cold wave has caused disruptions in the country’s transportation infrastructure and injured hundreds of people in a train crash in Beijing.
On Thursday evening, two subway trains in the capital collided amidst a heavy snowfall. According to the authorities, the accident, which happened in the city’s hilly west area on the overground section of the subway system’s Changping line, led to 515 people being hospitalized. Among them, 102 had sustained broken bones.
The cause of the collision was attributed to a train carriage’s failure to brake, thus colliding with another stopped car due to slippery tracks. Everyone on board was evacuated by 11 pm, and emergency services, police, and transport authorities responded quickly.
A large portion of the passengers were still in the hospital by Friday morning, with 25 under observation and 67 in the hospital, according to the city’s transport authority.
Heavy snowfall that began on Wednesday led to the suspension of some train operations and school shutdowns. Weather alerts for icy roads, extreme cold, and further snowfall remain in effect. The authorities predict overnight temperatures as low as minus 11 degrees Celsius.
In parts of the north-eastern province of Heilongjiang, the north-west region of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai, temperatures may go below minus 40 degrees Celsius, as per China’s National Meteorological Centre.
President Xi Jinping, who was visiting the southern Guangxi region on Thursday and Friday, reportedly stressed the impact of the inclement weather on power supplies, transportation, and people’s lives. He urged local governments to enhance their precautionary measures and contingency plans.