TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) – The owner of a construction truck that caused 48 people in the last decade with the biggest accident in Taiwan has killed 48 people. The emergency brake of the unmanned truck was not properly engaged, according to the government’s emergency relief center.
An investigation is underway into exactly how Lee Yi-Hsiang’s vehicle slipped off the tracks of a nearby construction site on the mountainous coast of the eastern province of Hualien on Friday. The truck was hit by a passenger train of 494 people, which derailed just before entering a tunnel, smashing many passengers inside the mutilated train carriages.
The death toll was revised to 48 on Sunday, after rescue workers initially said 51, then 50 people died. The changes came after some body parts were found to belong to one individual, a Central Emergency Operations Center spokesman said. At least 198 people were injured.
“During the Tomb Sweeping Holidays, I caused a serious accident in the Taiwanese railway administration’s Taroko train number 480, which caused deaths and injuries. I express my regret and sincere apologies for this,” said Lee, who also the construction site is, said manager, his words muted by a face mask and by emotion. “I will cooperate fully with the government’s investigation and take responsibility.”
Prosecutors in Hualien province earlier said they were seeking an arrest warrant for the owner of the truck, who was questioned along with several others.
Hualien District Court initially allowed Lee to post bail of 500,000 new Taiwan dollars ($ 17,516), but the decision was overturned on Sunday when a higher court in Hualien upheld the lower court’s decision to grant bail. recalled, reports the Central News Agency in Taiwan.
Train travel is popular during the four-day tombs holiday in Taiwan, when families often return to their hometowns to pay tribute to the graves of their elders. It is also an opportunity to holiday.
Taiwan is a mountainous island and most of its 24 million people live in rural areas along the northern and western coasts, where most of the country’s largest fields, largest cities and high-tech industries are located. The lightly populated east where the accident took place is popular as a tourist destination, and the railway line is known for its beautiful scenery.