In Taiwan, a passenger train derails leaving 36 dead, 36 with no sign of life, and 72 people still trapped

On the first day of the Qingming Festival, the 408 Taroko Taiwan Railway derailed which ran through the Daqingshui Tunnel in Hualien.

As a result of the accident, the train cars crashed into the wall of the tunnel. Rescuers work on the spot

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8 carriages carried more than 350 people. The railway police station reported at noon that at least 36 people were OHCA at the scene, 72 people were trapped, and 61 people were sent to the hospital.

According to the local newspaper, the second and third carriages (out of eight) got off, the fourth and fifth were badly damaged. Local Taiwanese media, citing emergency services, reported “many people with no signs of life” at the scene of the tragedy.

At present, all 1 to 4 cars have been rescued, and 119 firefighters have entered the 8th car from the other end of the tunnel.

The location of the accident was on the Dongzheng Line, and the Xizheng Line tunnel can still operate normally. Currently, a single-track two-way operation is adopted. The Qingshui Tunnel is to the north of Hualien City, between Taiwan Railway Heren Station and Chongde Station.

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In the afternoon, the Hualien County Police Department interviewed the driver of the engineering vehicle surnamed Li who was responsible for the incident.

Director Cai Dingxian said that when the Taiwan Railways commissioned the Ming tunnel project today, the engineering vehicle driver suspected that he did not pull the handbrake and accidentally stopped causing the vehicle to slip and hit the train. 

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It was initially judged that the collision point was at the front of the Taroko No. 8 vehicle, and there was no one on the engineering vehicle at the time of the incident. Taiwan Railways will seek compensation from manufacturers.