A CHILD WAS rescued 21 hours after a crash involving two high-speed trains in eastern China killed at least 35 people and injured more than 200 others, according to reports.

Xinhua news agency said the unconscious child was found in a carriage by rescuers on Sunday evening. “When we found him, he could still move his hands,” Xinhua quoted an unnamed firefighter as saying.

China Central Television initially reported that the child was a boy, but later said it was a four-year-old girl. The child was taken to hospital but no other details were provided.

The accident occurred when a bullet train travelling south from the Zhejiang provincial capital, Hangzhou, on Saturday evening lost power after a lightning strike and stalled. It was then hit from behind by the second train in Wenzhou city. The first four cars of the moving train fell about 30 metres from a viaduct to the ground below. One carriage ended up in a vertical position, leaning against the viaduct.

The ministry of railways said in a statement that the first four cars of the moving train and the last two of the stalled train derailed. The second train was travelling from Beijing and both trains were destined for Fuzhou in eastern Fujian province. An official surnamed Wang said it was unclear how long the first train had stopped on the track before being struck. State broadcaster CCTV said there were more than 900 passengers on the stalled train and more than 500 passengers on the train that hit it.

Three railway officials were fired after the crash and are subject to investigation, Xinhua quoted the ministry as saying.

Meanwhile, video footage has emerged showing the horrific aftermath of the smash. The clip, apparently taken from a TV helicopter, shows an entire carriage toppling from the bridge where the two trains collided.

Video: Aftermath of bullet train smash in China

- Additional reporting from AP