Signal failure: China metro crash injures more than 260

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Two metro trains collided in Shanghai on Tuesday, injuring more than 260 people, the city government said, just months after a deadly high-speed rail crash that shocked China.

The Shanghai Metro Company blamed the accident on a signal failure - the same cause as a July high-speed train crash that killed at least 40 people and shook public confidence in China's vast rail network, prompting outrage.

There were no immediate reports of any deaths from Tuesday's accident, but pictures posted on Chinese websites showed bloodied passengers, some lying on the floor apparently unconscious and others with head injuries.

The metro company said 500 passengers had been evacuated from the trains and the injured taken to hospital.

Around 50 went to the nearby Ruijin hospital, where a doctor said most of the victims were only slightly hurt.

"This accident shouldn't have happened," Wen Pei, a passenger in the hospital's emergency room said, his arm in a sling from a shoulder injury.

"The speed seemed fast. I felt a sudden stop, which made me lose my balance. I hit my head on the pole and it bled," said another victim, without giving his name.

The Shanghai government said it was investigating the accident, which appeared to have been caused by equipment failure.

"So far, more than 260 people have been sent to hospital, but no one is dead," a government spokeswoman who did not give her name told AFP. "We have set up a team to investigate."

China's hugely popular microblogs buzzed with criticism of the authorities in the hours following Tuesday's crash, with many accusing the government of failing to ensure passenger safety.

"This is the consequence of rapid development. In the end we have to seriously consider if we want GDP or a happy life," one blogger posted under the name Shaolei123.

"After this I won't dare take a subway," posted another.

The accident comes as China struggles to rebuild public trust in its vast rail system after a high-speed train crash near the city of Wenzhou, south of Shanghai, in July, when at least 40 people died.