(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/07/25/world/25china-span/25china-span-articleLarge.jpg)
On July 23, one train in eastern China stalled due to lightning. Shortly after, a second train arrived and failed to stop before colliding into the first, sending it on 20-30 meter drop off the tracks. 43 died and about 210 were injured.
What was the response? The media was demanded not to “investigate the cause of the accident”, and the Railway Ministry immediately started “burying parts of the wrecked trains near the site”.
Although China had been previously “warned against the rush to build the world’s longest and fastest high-speed rail network in record time amid safety concerns”, and had apparently even been warned about lightning risks a few days earlier, expansion plans have gone through rapidly nonetheless.
This is an example of an ethics issue, because the priority of expanding as quickly and as efficiently as possible is being set above the wellbeing of its customers. Not only are there severe issues in the accusations that safety was being compromised to reduce costs, but there are also huge ethical issues in the lack of transparency. In order to save face, they are literally burying away the situation, rather than investigating causes and potentially preventing future accidents.
Sources:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14321060
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/25/world/asia/25train.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/07/28/china-train-crash-design-flaws.html