China official detained after fatal train crash

BEIJING, May 10 (Reuters) - A former senior Chinese railway official has been ordered detained in connection with a train crash last month that killed 72 people, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

The detention of Guo Jiguang, former executive deputy director of the Jinan Railway Bureau, was approved by the standing committee of the eastern Shandong province legislature, Xinhua said, a move that suggests he could face criminal charges.

The Ministry of Railways public security authority had confirmed that Guo was "involved in the railway operation safety crime" and was dismissed from his post after an investigation, according to the report. Guo is also a deputy to the provincial legislature.

In the early hours of April 28, an express train travelling from Beijing to the eastern coastal city of Qingdao derailed and collided with another train, killing 72 and injuring 416 people.

Government safety investigators later said excessive speed caused the Beijing-Qingdao train to derail; it was travelling at 131 kph (81 mph) on a part of the route where the speed limit was 80 kph (50 mph).

Chinese media had reported that eight rail officials were dismissed after the accident, including the bureau's director and Communist Party chief. (Reporting Ken Wills; Editing by Alex Richardson)