People came to rescue after train 1473, from Xiangfan of central Hubei Province to Zhanjiang of Guangdong Province, derailed in Liuzhou City of Guangxi at 4:22 a.m. Wednesday, July 29, 2009. [Photo: Xinhua]

Four passengers died and 34 were injured after a train derailed in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region early Wednesday due to a rain-triggered landslide.

Train 1473, from Xiangfan in central Hubei Province to Zhanjiang, in Guangdong Province, derailed at 4:22 a.m. in a narrow valley in Liuzhou City of Guangxi. The locomotive and its first four sleeper cars derailed, said the Nanning Railway Bureau.

Of the 34 injured, two were in critical condition, said Xiang Jun, secretary general of the Liuzhou City government.

Most of the injured have been transferred to four hospitals in Liuzhou with better facilities. About 100 buses were arranged to transport the stranded passengers - approximately 1,400 - to nearby railway stations or Liuzhou to continue their travel plans, he said.

The train derailed after it hit rocks on the tracks swept there in a landslide triggered by continuous heavy rains, Xiang said.

Almost 2,000 policemen, workers and officials worked to rescue the victims, clearing rocks and debris from the line and using a large crane to lift damaged carriages off the track. The remaining carriages were removed by a rescue train.

The line linking Jiaozuo, central Henan Province, to Liuzhou, was cut, but reopened to traffic at 6:05 p.m. after 14 hours of rescue work.

Six excavators were clearing an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 cubic meters of landslide debris from the site. The narrow space did not allow more excavators to enter, rescuers said.

Guangxi regional government Chairman Ma Biao and Vice Chairman Yang Daoxi arrived at the scene to oversee the rescue operation Wednesday morning.

Heavy rain has hit the northern and central parts of Guangxi from Monday to early Wednesday.

On June 29, two passenger trains collided in central Hunan Province due to a brake failure, leaving three people dead and 63 others injured.