Death toll in Taiwan train derailment rises to 48

Dozens of people were killed on Friday when a packed train derailed inside a tunnel in eastern Taiwan, the island’s worst railway accident in decades.

Taiwan’s National Fire Agency said at least 48 people were confirmed dead with 66 others sent to hospital.

Officials said the accident could have been caused by a maintenance vehicle sliding down an embankment and striking the train before it entered the tunnel near the coastal city of Hualien.

“There was a construction vehicle that didn’t park properly and slid onto the rail track,” Hualien county police chief Tsai Ding-hsien told reporters.

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

Local media pictures from the scene showed the back of a yellow flatbed truck on its side next to the train.

President Tsai Ing-wen’s office said she had ordered hospitals to prepare for a mass casualty event.

“The top priority now is to rescue the stranded people,” it said in a statement.

The accident occurred on Taiwan’s eastern railway line around 9:30 am (0130 GMT).
Pictures published by local newspaper UDN showed the front of the train inside the tunnel had been pulverised into a twisted mesh of metal.

Rescuers worked for hours to reach those trapped inside the tunnel and haul them out.

Footage released by the Taiwan Red Cross showed specialists with helmets and headlights walking on the roof of the stricken train inside the tunnel to reach survivors.

By mid-afternoon, officials said there were no people left inside the carriages.

Due to a long history of deadly earthquakes, Taiwan has experienced rescue teams on permanent standby to deal with disasters and retrieve trapped people.