CHINA DERAILMENT KILLS SEVERAL

A passenger train has derailed in China, killing at least eight people, reports say.

The Ministry of Railways said the train had been knocked off the tracks by a landslide in a mountainous area of Jiangxi province, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The train had been making its way from Shanghai to the tourist area of Guilin.

Xinhua reported that dozens of people had been hurt in the accident.

Earlier reports put the death toll at 10.
State broadcaster CCTV said firefighters arriving at the scene had found eight bodies and pulled out 53 others who were trapped inside the train carriages.

Pictures in state media showed several carriages of the train had been severely damaged by the force of the accident.

The ministry said the accident had happened at 0210 (1810 GMT) near Fuzhou city.

Jiangxi has been hit by heavy rains in recent days, causing landslides and flooding low-lying farms.

More than than 40,000 residents in the area have been evacuated as a result of the flooding, Xinhua reports.