At least 22 dead and 171 wounded after train derailment in Taiwan



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At least 22 people died after the derailment of a fast train on a popular coastal tourist route to Taiwan on Sunday, the worst railway accident on the island for over 20 years.

The Taiwan Railway Administration confirmed the presence of 22 people. killed and reported that 171 people had been injured, 10 of them seriously, in the northeastern accident of Yilan County.

The authorities have not confirmed whether any pbadengers remain trapped alive on the train. An AFP journalist present at the scene said that other bodies were being pulled out of wrecked cars.

Images taken on the site show that the Puyuma Express train has completely derailed and is zigzagged across the track.

The railways derailed and five overturned near Xinma station, the railway administration said.

"Four cars were knocked down 90 degrees and the victims were the most affected," said Jason Lu, CEO.

"The exact cause of the accident is pending investigation," he added.

Chang Yi-long, 62, told AFP that he had "heard a loud bang," he added. working on a construction site nearby.

When he arrived at the scene, he saw locals helping the train pbadengers to escape.

A pbadenger told Apple Daily in Taiwan that the train had tightened its "emergency brake" twice. and that the electric

Hong Kong broadcaster, RTHK, reported that another pbadenger had stated that the train was preparing to accelerate before overturning and that it was trembling in an intense manner , adding that some pbadengers were asleep at the time of the accident.

The Taiwanese authorities stated that the accident occurred at 16:50 local time (0850 GMT).

The Railway Administration reported that there were 366 people on board en route to the city of Taitung (south of the country).

The Department of National Defense indicated it. had sent 120 soldiers to help the rescue. President Tsai Ing-wen called the accident "major tragedy" in a tweet Sunday night.

"My thoughts are with all the victims and their families," she added.

This accident is the worst railway accident in Colombia. Taiwan since 1991, when 30 pbadengers were killed and 112 injured after the collision of two trains in Miaoli.

Thirty people were also killed in 1981 after a truck collided with a pbadenger train at a crossing and sent buses on a bridge to Hsinchu. ] The worst accident of recent years was recorded in 2003, with 17 dead and 156 wounded after the pbadage of a train on the Alishan Mountain railway in a chasm at the edge of the track.

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