(Image source: Sky News)

BY: JING ZHAO

ANCHOR: MEGAN MURPHY

The death toll from a bullet train crash in China has risen to at least 39, including two Americans.

When one train was struck by lightning and lost power, another crashed into it from behind -- derailing several cars and sending two some 100 feet off a bridge.

“At first, there was an emergency braking by the train and the lights immediately went off. We didn’t think it was serious, we thought it might be a minor accident or derailment. Only when we got out, did we see that there were so many train carriages that had fallen down." (The Telegraph)

The train incident has interrupted railway service throughout the country. According to China’s state-run Xinhua,

 “... the operation of 58 trains was suspended on Sunday after a train collision and derailment." 

The Financial Times says, the crash could have serious consequences for the Chinese railway in the future, making it harder for the country to sell its rail technology abroad.

“On Monday, CSR Corp and China CNR Corp, the country’s biggest train makers, fell by 9 per cent and 9.7 per cent, respectively, in heavy trading on the Shanghai stock exchange ... China Railway Construction Corp, the country’s biggest railway builder, dropped 6.7 per cent in Hong Kong." 

Japanese rail experts say the train’s maximum speed is set at between 200-275 kph to ensure safety, while China operates at a maximum 350 kph on some routes.

And speaking of speed -- it seems to be a bitter topic among Chinese.

The New York Times reports the accident adds to citizens’ concern that China has been sacrificing safety as it modernizes. The Times quotes an editorial from China’s People’s Net...

“From public transport safety to coal mine safety to food safety, these accidents show that theoretically there is no problem with the conception of safety plans ... But they are not executed properly." 

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Transcript by Newsy.