Briefly

6 dead, 10 hurt after lightning hits pavilion

Six people were killed and 10 others injured after a lightning strike caused a park pavilion to collapse in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, local authorities said on Monday. The lightning struck in the park in Hengshanqiao township in the Changzhou Economic Development Zone at 8:36 pm on Sunday, causing the pavilion to collapse and trapping some people who were sheltering from the rain, according to the economic development zone. Search and rescue concluded late Sunday, and all 16 people were rushed to hospital. Six who sustained severe injuries later died despite extensive medical efforts, while the remaining 10 are in stable condition. An investigation is underway.

Aquatic resources recovering in Yangtze

The recovery of aquatic biological resources in China's Yangtze River Basin has gained momentum in recent years, a communique said on Monday. The communique, jointly released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and three other departments, said protection measures for the Yangtze River, including a fishing ban, have aided the recovery. Meanwhile, the biodiversity of aquatic wildlife has also improved, and habitat conditions for the creatures have been generally stable, the communique said. However, the variety of aquatic species under State protection is still relatively low, it said, adding that the protection of endangered species remains a difficult task.

Railway trips set seven-month record

Railway passenger trips in China hit a record high of about 2.52 billion in the first seven months of this year, up 15.7 percent year-on-year, data from the country's railway operator showed on Monday. China State Railway Group said an average of 10,434 passenger trains operated each day between January and July, up 10.6 percent year-on-year. In that period, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-speed Railway reported 15.38 million cross-boundary passenger trips, up 54.7 percent year-on-year, and the China-Laos Railway handled around 139,000 cross-border passenger trips, it said.

Xinhua