Toddler found alive in rubble of China train crash

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A toddler was rescued about 21 hours after a crash involving two high-speed trains in eastern China killed at least 43 people and injured more than 200 others, state media reported on Sunday.

Xinhua News Agency said the unconscious child was found early on Sunday evening while rescuers were clearing one of the train cars just as the cleanup efforts were almost completed. It cited an unnamed firefighter.

"When we found him, he could still move his hands," Xinhua quoted the firefighter as saying.

China Central Television first reported that the toddler was a boy, but later said a 4-year-old girl. The toddler was taken to the hospital and no other details were provided.

A bullet train was travelling south from the Zhejiang provincial capital of Hangzhou on Saturday when it lost power in a lightning strike and stalled, before being hit from behind by the second train in Wenzhou city.

Eight more bodies were recovered on Sunday from damaged train cars, bringing the death toll to 43, Xinhua said. Two foreigners were among the dead but their nationalities were unclear, said an official surnamed Wang in the Zhejiang provincial emergency office.

A total of 211 people were injured, Xinhua said. The first four cars of the moving train fell about 65 to 100 feet (20 to 30 metres) off the viaduct onto the ground below. One carriage ended up in a vertical position, leaning against the viaduct.