Rain forces closure of rail route in C China

ZHENGZHOU - Continuous rain disrupted traffic on a rail route in central Henan province onSunday and repair work continued Monday, railway authorities said.

Zhengzhou Railway Bureau closed the Henan section of the Longhai Railway, a pivotal linkbetween Lianyungang in the eastern Jiangsu province and Lanzhou of northwestern Gansuprovince, at 10:30 pm Sunday.

Rain washed away some of the cobblestones and earth that supported the tracks in Sanmenxiacity, causing a 120-meter long, 0.2-meter wide crack, a spokesman with the bureau said.

He said more than 600 railway workers were reinforcing the tracks.

It is not immediately known when the railway will reopen.