Truck collision, train derailment in NE China

A freight train is derailed after colliding with a truck on Feb 9, 2015. [Photo/Liaoshen Evening News]

A freight train in northeast China derailed after colliding with a truck that had careered through a closed road crossing, said authorities on Monday.

No casualties were reported.

The truck, loaded with iron ore, jumped a railway crossing that links Jinzhou in Liaoning Province and Chengde in Hebei Province at 3:30 a.m. Monday, said an official with the Shenyang Railway Bureau.

Despite the stop signal, the truck did not stop and crashed through the guardrail, hitting the middle of the cargo train.

The locomotive and 11 of its cars derailed.

The truck had a maximum cargo weight of 34 tonnes of cargo, however, it was carrying 50 tonnes of iron ore, according to an investigation.

The railway authority is attempting restore flow and has requested that passenger trains bypass the affected section.

China's railways are bracing for the busiest travel season as tens of millions of people return home to celebrate the Lunar New Year.