SHANGHAI (World News) -- A Shanghai subway train crashed into another that was stopped underground Tuesday, injuring more than 270 people in the latest trouble for the rapidly expanded transportation system in China's commercial center.
The crash occurred after Shanghai Shentong Metro Group blogged that Line 10 was having delays due to equipment problems. The line opened last year and is one of the city's newest.
At least 271 people were hurt, none seriously, said Xu Jiangguang, head of the city's health bureau. Some of the injured were carried away on stretchers, however, and 30 were being kept overnight for observation.
"This is the darkest day ever for the Shanghai subway. Regardless of the cause or responsibility, we are stricken with remorse for having caused our passengers injury and losses," the company said in an apology posted on its blog. "We want to deeply, deeply apologize."
One train rammed into the back of another that was stop ped between stations. Reports said problems with signaling equipment had prompted the line to switch to manual operations.
The signaling equipment reportedly was the same as that used by high-speed trains that collided in July, killing 40 people and injuring 177 in a massive accident that exposed festering resentments over the huge costs of the country's massive buildup of its rail system, especially its high-speed lines.
Authorities have not yet disclosed the results of an investigation into the cause of that accident, though state media cited officials as saying signaling equipment was thought to have been a key factor.
Yu Guangyao, chairman of Shanghai Shentong, told reporters that Tuesday's accident also was linked to problems with signaling equipment. But he did not respond to questions over whether the equipment had also been at fault in previous less-serious accidents.
The trains were relatively crowded when they crashed at midafternoon. Ph otos posted online by passengers showed some of the injured covered in blood and lying on the floor of the train.
Firefighters helped evacuate the approximately 500 passengers on the trains, taking them out through emergency exits and walking them through the subway tunnel.
The crash snarled downtown traffic as police blocked roads to clear the way for ambulances, and hundreds of gawkers gathered to watch as passengers were escorted from the subway.
Shanghai, a city of 23 million, has rapidly expanded its subways in recent years and some lines have had problems with faulty signaling, windows shattering, doors not opening properly and poorly trained operators.
Shanghai's No. 10 line was among several opened last year that were built hastily ahead of the 2010 World Expo, which brought more than 72 million visitors to the city.
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Associated Press writer Elaine Kurtenbach and researcher Fu Ting contributed to this report.
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