At least 4 dead after train derailment carrying 350 people in Taiwan

TAIPEI: A train derailed in a tunnel in Taiwan on Friday (April 2) after apparently colliding with a truck, killing at least four people and injuring more than 20, as rescuers struggled to reach crushed railcars, the department of firefighters.

The train, which was traveling to Taitung, derailed in a tunnel north of Hualien, causing some carriages to hit the tunnel wall, the fire department said in a statement.

At least four people are believed to have died. Three seriously injured people were sent to the hospital and about 20 with minor injuries are waiting to go to the hospital, he said.

The train was carrying about 350 people and rescue efforts are ongoing, the department said.

The accident occurred on the eastern Taiwan railway line around 9:30 a.m.

A short video posted by the Central Emergency Operations Center inside the tunnel showed rescuers arriving at the scene and a crooked carriage door.

The Taiwan Railway Administration issued a separate statement saying “many” had no signs of life, citing the local fire department.

Between 80 and 100 people have been evacuated from the train’s first four cars, while cars five through eight have been “warped” and difficult to access, the fire department said.

“Is everyone in carriage four?” A woman is heard screaming from inside the tunnel, in images provided by firefighters.

The official Central News Agency said a truck that was “not parked properly” was suspected of slipping into the train path. The fire department displayed a photo of what appeared to be the wreckage of the truck alongside part of the derailed train.

Footage from the crash scene shows cars inside the tunnel collapsed and wrecked from the impact, passengers picking up suitcases and bags from a tilted and derailed car, and others walking down debris-strewn tracks.

The accident occurred at the beginning of a long weekend for the traditional grave-sweeping day hospital.

The mountainous east coast of Taiwan is a popular tourist destination.

In 2018, 18 people were killed and 175 injured when a train derailed in northeast Taiwan, in the island’s worst rail disaster in more than three decades.

This story is unfolding. Please update for updates.