A total of 36 people were killed and 43 others wounded when a high-speed train en route from Istanbul to Ankara derailed Thursday, the Turkish Transport Ministry announced.
(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan(C) inspected the site on July 23.(Xinhua/AFP Photo)

Rescue work underway.(Xinhua/AFP Photo)

    ANKARA, July 23 (Xinhuanet) -- A new high-speed train derailed in northwestern Turkey on Thursday, killing about 36 people and injuring dozens on board.

    About "36 people were killed and 68 of our citizens were injured," the semi-official Anatolia news agency quoted Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying.

    Four wagons derailed, but most of the dead and injured were on the first two wagons, Anatolia said. Many of the victims were children, and dozens of rescue workers were using sniffer dogs andheavy machinery to rescue the people underneath the carriage, witnesses said.

    The packed train, with 234 passengers and nine crew on board and en route from Istanbul to Ankara, derailed near the town of Pamukova in Sakarya province at about 7:45 p.m. local time (1645 GMT) Thursday.

    The cause of the accident was not immediately clear, but officials ruled out that it was caused by the train's high speed.     

    ONE OF TURKEY'S WORST EVER RAIL DISASTERS

    At the scene, rescue workers were making efforts to comb through the debris for survivors, but darkness hampered the operation.

    Most of the cars were lying on their sides with windows shattered, and bodies lay near the track as people climbed on the cars for rescuing.

    "The scene is one of carnage," and there were people lying all over the place, Oguz Dizer, a reporter on the scene, told local television station NTV.

    Initially the Crisis Center of Turkey put the death toll at 139,while officials of the Health Ministry put it at 128.

    Search and rescue efforts were continuing, Anatolia reported, saying the dead were taken to morgues of hospitals and the injured were sent to nearby hospitals for medical treatment.

    The Turkish Transportation Ministry, shortly after the accident,established a crisis desk comprising officials from the ministry and the Turkish State Railways (TCDD).  

    CAUSE UNDER INVESTIGATION

    Suleyman Karaman, general director of the TCDD, ruled out high speed as the cause. "This accident couldn't have happened at this speed. This is not normal," he was quoted as saying by Anatolia, noting the locomotive did not go off the tracks.

    Prime Minister Erdogan, before taking a helicopter to the scene,also denied claims that the new line was dangerous, saying domestic and foreign experts "did the necessary checks before" theoperation.

    The new high-speed train line connecting Istanbul and Ankara went into service on June 4. Erdogan and Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim joined the first journey of the train.

    The new line was regarded by the government as a great development in the country's transportation, but it drew criticism from some experts who said a derailment would come sooner or later.

    In an article published only two weeks ago in the local daily Hurriyet, Aydin Erel, an engineering professor of the country's Yildiz University, said the line was very dangerous.

    "Due to the high speed, the rails will break and the high speedtrain will be expensive to maintain. The weight of the rails will not be enough and if the rails are not mended there will be a crash on the railway," the professor said.

    Former transportation minister Oktay Vural said running the high-speed service is a mistake. "Using the old track and simply making changes to accelerate the train was a grave mistake," he told CNN.

    Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Bulent Arinc ruled out sabotage as the cause. "From what I have learned from those involved, there is nothing like this (as provocation)," he told reporters.

    Erdogan canceled his Friday trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina and saida statement would be made after the investigations into the cause were carried out.

    Turkish President Ahmed Necdet Sezer on Thursday night expressed his condolences over the dead and wished that such tragedy would never occur again. Enditem

    Suleyman Karaman, general director of the TCDD, ruled out high speed as the cause. "This accident couldn't have happened at thisspeed. This is not normal," he was quoted as saying by Anatolia, noting the locomotive did not go off the tracks.

    Prime Minister Erdogan, before taking a helicopter to the scene,also denied claims that the new line was dangerous, saying domestic and foreign experts "did the necessary checks before" the operation.

    The new high-speed train line connecting Istanbul and Ankara went into service on June 4. Erdogan and Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim joined the first journey of the train.

    The new line was regarded by the government as a great development in the country's transportation, but it drew criticism from some experts who said a derailment would come sooner or later.

    In an article published only two weeks ago in the local daily Hurriyet, Aydin Erel, an engineering professor of the country's Yildiz University, said the line was very dangerous.

    "Due to the high speed, the rails will break and the high speedtrain will be expensive to maintain. The weight of the rails will not be enough and if the rails are not mended there will be a crash on the railway," the professor said.

    Former transportation minister Oktay Vural said running the high-speed service is a mistake. "Using the old track and simply making changes to accelerate the train was a grave mistake," he told CNN.

    Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Bulent Arinc ruled out sabotage as the cause. "From what I have learned from those involved, there is nothing like this (as provocation)," he told reporters.

    Erdogan canceled his Friday trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina and said a statement would be made after the investigations into the cause were carried out.

    Turkish President Ahmed Necdet Sezer on Thursday night expressed his condolences over the dead and wished that such tragedy would never occur again. Enditem