Passenger train derails in eastern Taiwan, killing 48 and injuring dozens

A train partially derailed in eastern Taiwan today after being struck by an unmanned vehicle that had rolled down a hill, killing 48 people. With the train still partially in a tunnel, the survivors exited through the windows and walked along the roof of the train to safety.

The accident occurred near the Toroko Gorge scenic area on the first day of a long holiday weekend when many people were boarding trains on Taiwan’s sprawling rail system. The train was carrying more than 400 people.

The National Fire Service confirmed the death toll, which included the train’s young and newlywed driver, and said everyone on board had already been tallied. More than 100 people were injured, he said. Railroad news officer Weng Hui-ping called the accident the deadliest rail disaster in Taiwan.

Weng said a construction truck operated by the railway administration slid onto the track from a work site on the hillside above. No one was in the truck at the time. He said the speed of the train was unknown.

The train had only partially exited a tunnel, and with much of it still inside, many escaping passengers were forced to rush out the doors and windows and climb the sides of the train to walk along the roof to safety.

Television footage and photos posted of the scene on the official Central News Agency website showed people exiting through the open door of a carriage just outside the tunnel entrance. The interior wall of a car was pushed to the bottom of the adjacent seat.

Taiwan is a mountainous island, and the majority of its 24 million people live in the plains along the north and west coasts that are home to most of the agricultural land, the largest cities, and the high-tech industries of the Island. The sparsely populated east is popular with tourists, many of whom travel there by train to avoid the mountain roads.

An investigation into the accident was launched and there was no immediate news of arrests.

In a tweet, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said that emergency services “have been fully mobilized to rescue and assist the affected passengers and railway personnel. We will continue to do everything possible to ensure their safety after this heartbreaking incident”.

The accident occurred on the first day of the Grave Sweeping Festival, an annual religious holiday in which people travel to their places of origin for family reunions and to pay their respects at the graves of their ancestors.

Taiwanese Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang said the Railway Administration should immediately carry out checks along other tracks to “prevent this from happening again.”

About 50 volunteers from the Tzu Chi Buddhist Foundation stationed in an aid tent near the crash site said children were among the dozens who escaped from the train cars. They were treating minor injuries and offering lunches.

“We see people getting off the train and looking shocked and nervous,” said Chen Tzu-chong, leader of Tzu Chi’s team at the scene.

Taiwan’s last major rail accident was in October 2018, when an express train derailed while rounding a sharp curve on the northeast coast, killing at least 18 people and injuring nearly 200.

In 1991, a collision in western Taiwan killed 30 people and another collision a decade earlier also killed 30. They are said to have been the worst previous crashes in the rail system dating back to the late 19th century.

Taiwan’s extensive rail system has seen substantial improvements in recent years, particularly with the addition of a high-speed line connecting the capital, Taipei, with cities on the west coast to the south.

The train involved in today’s derailment, Toroko No. 408, is one of the newest models in Taiwan.