Three people were injured and the traffic on the railway linking central China's Hunan and southwest China's Guizhou was halted due to a tank truck-train collision Tuesday morning.

All the injured were drivers and one train driver was in a serious condition, according to the government of Huaihua City, where the accident occurred.

The railway administration along the line has arranged for hundreds of passengers who were held up at the stations to take other trains to destination.

The truck, carrying an empty tank, collided with a running cargo train at 3:55 AM Tuesday in the Xinhuang Dong Autonomous County, distorting the rail and leaving the locomotive and eight carriages of the train turned over, according to the local government.

The Guangzhou Railway Group and the railway administration of Chengdu, which are in charge of the railway, have sent rescuers tothe site.

The destroyed railway is being repaired and the traffic is expected to resume Wednesday.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.

(Xinhua News Agency December 14, 2005)