Nine people were killed and 36 injured when a train hit a bus crossing the track on Monday in Heihe, Heilongjiang province.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation, and compensation for victims has already begun, according to Li Qing, head of the Heihe Railway Bureau.

The accident occurred around 7:30 am at a railway crossing a few kilometers off Xianghe Farm. Some nearby residents who heard the collision rushed to the scene to help rescue the injured.

A man who lives near the crossing said a guard assigned to warn vehicles was not at his post. "Five people died at the scene. Several were badly injured, and most suffered flesh wounds. It took about three hours to send all of the wounded to a hospital," said the man, who declined to be named.

The Heihe information office said three people died en route to a hospital and one died at the hospital. All of the victims were passengers on the bus.

A man surnamed Hao who helped rescue wounded passengers also said the guard was not on duty. "Usually there is a guard to stop buses and pedestrians when a train is coming. But he was absent," said Hao, who declined to give his full name.

"The front and rear windows of the bus are broken. The bottom of the bus is damaged badly. The seats are even mangled," Hao said.

The Heihe information office did not know how many people were on the bus but said it could carry 33 passengers.

Contact the writers at wuyong@chinadaily.com.cn, liuce@chinadaily.com.cn and zhouhuiying@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 01/29/2013 page3)