Taipei: A train partially derailed along Taiwan’s east coast, killing at least 34 people and injuring dozens, police said. The toll may rise as dozens have been critically injured and the conditions of a number of passengers are stated to be critical. Local media reported 350 passengers were on board.
Reports said a truck fell from a cliff above and landed on the tracks, where a train emerging from a tunnel smashed into it. With much of the train still trapped in the tunnel, escaping passengers were forced to scale doors, windows and roofs to reach safety.
The crash occurred near the Toroko Gorge scenic area around 9.00am Friday which is a public holiday.
The truck apparently hit after the locomotive had emerged, causing the greatest damage to cars 1-5, according to the rescue department of Hualien county.
Television footage and photos posted by people at the scene on the website of the official Central News Agency showed people climbing out the open door of a railcar just outside the entrance to the tunnel. The inside of one car was pushed all the way into the adjacent seat.
The accident came on the first day of the four-day Tomb Sweeping Festival.
Taiwan’s last major rail crash was in October 2018 when an express train derailed while rounding a tight corner on the northeast coast. In the accident 18 people were killed and nearly 200 were injured. In 1991, a collision in western Taiwan killed 30 people and injured 112 in its deadliest train accident.