TAIPEI – The derailment of a passenger train in Taiwan on Friday killed at least 50 people and injured more than 180 people in the deadliest railway incident on the island in at least four decades.
The high-speed train, which runs from the Taipei area and south through eastern Taiwan to Taitung, was carrying nearly 500 people, including railway staff, when it derailed at about 9:30 a.m. in a tunnel near the scenic area of Taitung. Hualien, some wagons hit the tunnel walls, local authorities said. The train, the Taroko Express, can reach speeds of about 80 kilometers per hour.
As of 6 p.m. Saturday, 51 people, including two train drivers, two Americans and a French passenger, were pronounced dead in the incident, while 188 injured were taken to hospitals, according to authorities. By Friday night, firefighters rescued all remaining passengers.
“I share sadly with my countrymen,” Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Friday afternoon. She said the Taiwanese Transportation Safety Board was investigating the cause of the incident, and urged the public to refrain from excessive speculation and await the final results of the investigation.
A preliminary investigation published by the Central Emergency Operation Center in Taiwan on Friday indicated that the eight-car train hit a construction vehicle that stopped on the tracks.