BEIJING - China is to identify the individual or business responsible for a high-speed rail crash that killed 40 people last month, an official said Monday.

"The technical report of the accident and an expert panel report on the accident's direct cause have been completed. The next stage will be to identify those who are responsible for the crash," Huang Yi, spokesman of the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS), said during an online interview at Xinhuanet (www.xinhuanet.com).

However, Huang did not mention when the two reports will be made public. According to the SAWS, the results of the investigation are expected to be made public mid-September.

Three railway officials were removed from their posts following the crash.

The SAWS is participating in a government investigation into the high-speed railway crash that occurred near the city of Wenzhou in east China's Zhejiang Province on July 23. The crash left 40 people dead and 191 others injured.

Preliminary investigations show serious design flaws in railway signaling equipment as well as poor emergency response and safety management loopholes. These factors should all be blamed for the accident, which should have been avoided, Huang said.

He also urged relevant authorities to draw lessons from the accident and remove potential safety hazards.