Taiwan tragedy: at least 48 dead after train derailment

At least 48 people killed after truck derailed train near eastern Taiwan city of HualienIsland Railroad Police reported.

According to the source, quoted by the Taiwanese news agency CNA, “These people are showing signs of cardiac arrest outside the hospital.”

More, 118 passengers were hospitalized with injuries to varying degrees, while 72 people remained stuck in the accident vehicle.

The train was passing through the Daqingshui Tunnel with around 350 passengers on board at the time of the incident, which occurred at around 9:28 a.m. local time (1:28 a.m. GMT).

The preliminary conclusion of the Taiwan Railway Administration was that the wreckage of the train derailed at the entrance to the aforementioned tunnel in a collision with an improperly parked maintenance vehicle next to the slopes.

“There was a construction vehicle that was not parked properly and slipped on the tracks”Hualien County Police Chief told reporters, Tsai Ding-hsien.

“This is our initial understanding and we are clarifying the cause of the incident,” he added.

As a result of this event, several cars collided with the walls of the tunnel, inside which some of them were trapped.

The Taiwan Railway Administration has indicated that normal service on the island’s eastern route should it resumed today at around 6:00 p.m. local time (10:00 GMT).

The crashed vehicle had left Shulin, New Taipei, and was heading for the town of Taitung in the southeast of the island.

The accident coincides with the start of the annual Grave Sweeping Festival, a festive long weekend that fills the country’s roads and railroads.

The Eastern Taiwan Railway is often a tourist attraction as it runs through its splendid and the coast is less populated.

Through multiple tunnels and bridges, it winds through spectacular mountains and gorges before descending through the Huadong Valley.

With information from EFE and AFP

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