Survivors fight free of wreckage
Owner of truck questioned after 50 killed in horrific train crash in Taiwan
Prosecutors in Taiwan said yesterday they questioned the owner of an unmanned truck that rolled on to a rail track and caused the country’s worst train disaster in decades, killing 50 people and injuring 178, though no charges have been filed.
The train was carrying 494 people at the start of a long holiday weekend when it smashed into the construction truck that slid down a hillside above the tracks, the Taiwan Railways Administration said. Many passengers were crushed just before the train entered a tunnel, while some survivors were forced to climb out of windows and walk along the train’s roof to safety.
Among the survivors was a man, surnamed Wu, who said he felt dizzy after a sudden loud striking sound. When he recovered, the carriage was pitch black and crumpled, and passengers were using the light of their phones to help each other. After about an hour, he was able to walk out of the tunnel. “I’ve managed to get out of it, but I felt scared and didn’t dare look at the scene, as there are many people lying on the ground.”
The unmanned truck’s emergency brake was not properly engaged, according to the government’s disaster relief centre.
The district prosecutor’s office in eastern Hualien County, where the train derailed, confirmed it had interviewed the truck owner, among others, but was not ready to file charges. Prosecutorial staff were visiting a mortuary yesterday to examine the bodies, office spokeswoman Chou Fang-yi said.
President Tsai Ing-wen visited hospitals near the crash instead of the site itself so as not to interfere with rescue work, her spokesperson said.
“This heartbreaking accident caused many injuries and deaths. I came to Hualien today to visit the injured and express my condolences to the deceased passengers’ families,” Tsai said. “We will surely help them in the aftermath.”
Workers removed the two rearmost cars from the tracks Saturday morning. However, a third could not be moved before tracks are repaired while the other five cars were still wedged into the tunnel.
Two large construction cranes could be seen drawn up next to the train.
The operation should be done within a week, said Weng Hui-ping, head of the railway administration’s news group.
The National Fire Service said the dead included the train’s young, newly married driver and the assistant driver.
The government’s disaster response centre said it was the worst rail disaster since a train caught fire in 1948 in suburban Taipei, killing 64 people.