BEIJING, June 4 ― A passenger train accident in southwestern China on Saturday killed the driver and injured eight people, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

As the Guangzhou-bound train was about to enter a tunnel in Guizhou province, it ploughed into debris deposited on the tracks by a mudslide, derailing two carriages and killing the driver, CCTV reported.

Of the eight injured, seven were passengers and one was a member of the train staff. All other 136 passengers were safe.

The derailed train is a D-class train service that moves at a slower speed than the country's fastest G-class high-speed trains.

The accident on Saturday morning happened during a long-weekend which typically sees heavier passenger flows as people take advantage of the public holiday to travel inter-city.

China's rail network, with an operating route length of about 150,000 km, is the second largest in the world. ― Reuters

LONDON, June 4 ― British police on Saturday briefly evacuated London’s Trafalgar Square, close to where celebrations are to be held later to mark Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, after reports of a suspicious vehicle but said the security alert had concluded.

“This was investigated and after police took action we have no further concern. This was not terrorism-related,” police said on Twitter.

A police spokesman said earlier lots of checks were being carried out in the area, a short distance from where a concert is to be staged outside Buckingham Palace later in the day. ― Reuters

SEOUL, June 4 — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a message of congratulations to Queen Elizabeth, the reclusive state’s foreign ministry said, as Britain celebrates her Platinum Jubilee.

Friday marked the second of four days of pomp, parties and parades to celebrate the 96-year-old monarch’s record-breaking 70 years on the throne.

“I extend my congratulations to you and your people on the occasion of the National Day of your country, the official birthday of Your Majesty,” Kim said in a message dated June 2.

Britain and North Korea established diplomatic relations in 2000.

North Korea is one of the few countries that the queen, who is also head of state of 14 other nations including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, has never visited during her long reign. She has however paid a state visit to South Korea. — Reuters