The official Xinhua news agency

The official Xinhua news agency, in a rare piece of criticism from mainstream state media, said the ministry's handling of the crash's aftermath had "done nothing to reassure the public of its professionalism."

"The ministry, as it monopolizes the country's rail transport, has long been dubbed ... 'big rail brother' for its indifference to passengers' needs," it said in the English language commentary.

"The ministry promised to refund passengers whose rail service was canceled after the collision. However, many have found it outrageous that they were told to go back to the exact booth they purchased the ticket, which may be hundreds or thousands of kilometers away."

"ONLY DEVILS COULD BELIEVE"

Comments on China's popular Twitter-like microblogging site Weibo suggested the government will have to work very hard to subdue broad public anger at the crash.

In one online Weibo survey, 98 percent of more than 5,000 respondents answered "only devils could believe" the official death toll of 39.

"We've seen the kind-heartedness of the Chinese people (during this disaster) and the shameless avarice of those who govern us," wrote one person who goes by the name "well-behaved partition 57." "Those who lie to the great Chinese people should be made to pay the price."

The government has now begun paying compensation to the victims' families, with the first family accepting 500,000 yuan ($77,500), according to Xinhua.

Police also released for the first time the names of 28 of the dead along with their places of residence and identity card numbers, Xinhua said. The list included two foreigners -- an Italian and a U.S. citizen.

The Global Times, a widely read tabloid published by the People's Daily, wondered in an editorial why China was able to develop so fast economically yet ignore safety standards taken for granted in the West.