Deadliest Practice Accident in Taiwan
Taiwan was the scene of the deadliest railway accident in this Chinese runaway country. At least 36 people were killed in this tunnel crash
- The sparsely populated east of China’s breakaway province of Taiwan is popular with tourists, many of whom arrive along the coastal railroad lines to avoid treacherous mountain roads.
- A passenger train carrying more than 400 passengers crashed into a vehicle on its tracks and was partially derailed in front of a railway tunnel in Taiwan on Friday.
- At least 36 people were killed and many injured. Survivors climbed out of windows and on roofs to escape the worst rail disaster on the island in decades.
Survivors climbed out of windows and on roofs to escape the worst rail disaster on the island in decades.
The crash occurred near 9 a.m. on a public holiday near the scenic area of Toroko Gorge. Officials in Hualien County said the rescue effort would continue. The media reported that there were more than 400 passengers on board.
According to reports, a truck or some type of service vehicle fell off a cliff and landed on the tracks where a train crashed out of a tunnel. Since a large part of the train was still locked in the tunnel, escaping passengers had to climb doors, windows and roofs to reach safety.
The vehicle apparently hit after the locomotive appeared and caused the greatest damage to vehicles 1-5, according to the Hualien County Rescue Department.
Television footage and photos posted by local people on the official Central News Agency website showed people climbing out of the open door of a railcar just outside the entrance to the tunnel. The interior of a car was pushed into the adjoining seat until it stopped.
The accident occurred on the first day of the four-day Tomb Sweeping Festival, an annual religious festival where people travel to their hometowns to hold family celebrations and worship at the graves of their ancestors.
Taiwan is a mountainous island with most of the 24 million people living on flatlands along the north and west coasts. The lightly populated east is popular with tourists, many of whom arrive along the coastal tram lines to avoid treacherous mountain roads.
Taiwan’s extensive rail system has been modernized significantly in recent years, notably with the addition of a high-speed rail link connecting the capital Taipei with cities on the west coast in the south.
