High speed was to blame for the train disaster in eastern China that killed 70 people and injured more than 400 others, official media said on Tuesday, citing an investigation panel.

"Overspeeding was responsible for Monday's deadly train collision in east China that killed 70 and injured 416 others," the Xinhua news agency said, citing the panel set up by China's cabinet.

The rail accident, the worst in China in more than a decade, happened near the city of Zibo in Shandong province, when a passenger service from Beijing derailed and collided with an oncoming train.

Xinhua reported earlier that the train from Beijing was travelling at 131 kilometres an hour, in excess of the 80-kilometre-an-hour speed limit, before it came off the tracks.

Authorities had on Monday already ruled out terrorism and said "human error" was to blame.

It was the second serious train accident in Shandong province this year and the worst in China since 126 people were killed in Hunan province in 1997.

In January, a high-speed train ploughed into a group of railway workers in Shandong, killing 18 people.