Nine rail workers killed by train in China

A passenger train has hit and killed nine rail construction workers on a track in northwest China, according to state media.

The victims were among more than 50 workers repairing a closed section of track when the incident happened early on Friday, state broadcaster CCTV said.

It wasn't clear why they were on the other track, which was open at the time and runs in the opposite direction.

The incident happened at 5.18am local time as the train negotiated a curve in the city of Jinchang in Gansu province, about 1200km west of Beijing.

The train was heading from Urumqi, the capital of the far-west Xinjiang region, to the eastern city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, a journey that takes nearly 56 hours.