WENZHOU -- A single cell phone message held the last words that Yang Feng's pregnant wife ever said to him. Yang was busy on Saturday evening and did not reply to her, a fact which will haunt him for the rest of his life.
Yang's pregnant wife Chen Bi, together with Yang's in-laws, were on high-speed train D3115 Saturday evening, leaving the city of Shaoxing for Wenzhou.
Their train was rear-ended on a bridge late Saturday by high-speed train D301 near the city of Wenzhou in east China's Zhejiang Province. The accident left at least 39 people dead and 192 others injured.
Only Yang's father-in-law survived the collision.
"I bought first-class tickets in the 16th carriage for my pregnant wife and the family. I wanted them to feel comfortable on the train. I regret it so much," Yang sobbed.
After the accident, Yang went to Wenzhou to see the crash site for himself. After walking in deep rainwater and climbing two hills, Yang reached the bridge around 1 a.m. Sunday.
Yang saw all of his dead relatives' bodies except for that of his wife. He dug into the 16th carriage with his bare hands Sunday afternoon, but still failed to find her.
The 16th coach of D3115, where Yang's family sat, was the most seriously damaged. In the same carriage, two-year-old Xiang Weiyi was found just hours after authorities claimed that there were no signs of life remaining in the wreckage.
All of the bodies of the 39 victims were claimed by relatives as of Tuesday, although DNA tests to ascertain their true identities have yet to be completed, according to a Wenzhou city official.
Wang Yongping, spokesman with China's Ministry of Railways, delivered an apology and expressed condolences to the victims and bereaved families at a press conference Sunday night.
According to Wang, an initial investigation showed that train D3115 lost power and stalled after being struck by lightening. The train's black box recorder has been retrieved and the ministry is investigating the cause of the crash.
DOUBTS REMAIN
The family of one of the victims agreed to accept a compensatory payment of 500,000 yuan (about 77,500 U.S. dollars) on Tuesday. However, most of the bereaved families are asking for further investigation results.
The families, as well as the greater public, have asked for a full list of dead, injured and missing people. According to the Ministry of Railways, train D3115 stopped on the tracks at 8 p.m., with the collision occurring at 8:38 p.m.
"How did the driver of train D301 not know that the D3115 was stopped on the same railway? Did the driver of D3115 report the stop to the dispatch center? Were the dispatchers responsible for the collision?" China Central Television (CCTV) posed these questions on its program "News 1+1" on Wednesday. "I would rather be told the true reason for the collision than be given compensation," Yang said.
Chen Liang, a Wenzhou native, lost his father in the train crash. Chen told Xinhua that he feels the government has not been sincere. "The high-speed railway is so advanced. It is ridiculous for the Ministry of Railways to say that the accident was caused by lightning after only two days of investigating," Chen said.
He Weifang, a professor at the Peking University Law School, called for creating an investigative committee via weibo.com, a popular Chinese microblogging site. "The train crash in Wenzhou is incredibly shocking. However, the subsequent investigation by the Ministry of Railway was less than convincing. Therefore, it is time to establish a special committee to investigate the truth," He said.
Trains began running on tracks near the tragedy site at 6:57 a.m. Monday, just 34 hours after the accident occurred. Relatives of the dead and injured have questioned whether it is appropriate to run the trains again so soon.
Jin Chongzhang's 44-year-old nephew died in the crash. Another resident of Wenzhou, Jin is troubled by the fact that his nephew cannot have a traditional funeral before being cremated, as per Wenzhou's local customs
Jin said he has visited the local funeral house several times to inquire, but has yet to receive a reply. Dozens of the victims' relatives have been negotiating with Wenzhou municipal authorities, wishing to reclaim the bodies of their relatives and hold funerals in accordance with local customs.
He Bing, deputy chief of the Law School of the China University of Political Science and Law, suggested that the government build a monument for those who died in the crash.
As of Tuesday evening, the 118 injured were still receiving medical treatment in hospitals in Wenzhou, local health authorities said Tuesday. Eleven hospitals in Wenzhou have received 192 injured passengers so far.
