Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Thursday urged the Ministry of Railways (MOR) to give an "honest answer" to the people on the way it had handled the aftermath of a fatal train crash.

Wen was speaking to reporters at the site of the weekend crash of two high-speed trains near Wenzhou of eastern China's Zhejiang Province that killed 39 people and injured 192 others.

"I called the minister of railways soon after the crash happened, and what I said to him was just two words -- 'save people'," said Wen after mourning victims and expressing condolences to the relatives of the dead.

"I believe the top principle in handling accidents is to save the victims by all means," said Wen.

"The Ministry of Railways should give an honest answer to the people as to whether it has conformed with this principle in dealing with the collision," said Wen.