Five railway officials were suspended from their official duties in response to the deadly train wreck that killed 72 and injured 416 in east China's Shandong Province, said authorities handling the aftermath on Saturday.

The Jinan Railway Bureau has replaced five mid-ranking officials in charge of transportation, dispatching and the Zibo city rail section with new heads, the authorities said. "The mistakes of these offices directly caused the disaster."

The decision followed the punishment of three higher-ranking officials of the Jinan Railway Bureau. Chen Gong, former director of the Jinan Railway Bureau, and Chai Tiemin, former Party secretary, were sacked by the Railways Ministry on Monday. Former executive deputy director Guo Jiguang was dismissed a day later.

Sixty-three of the 416 injured had been discharged as of Saturday, while 177 others were transferred to hospitals elsewhere for treatment and 176 remained hospitalized in Zibo City, officials said.

Identities of all the 72 killed were confirmed. Bodies of 16 victims had been cremated with the agreement of their families as of Saturday, officials said.

T195, a high-speed train from Beijing to the coastal city of Qingdao, derailed and crashed into another train in Zibo's Zhoucun District at 4:40 a.m. on Monday.

A preliminary investigation suggested the train from Beijing was running at 131 kilometers per hour at the time of the accident, while the speed limit of that section was 80 kph.

(Xinhua News Agency May 4, 2008)