Truck Rolled Down Hill, Landed on Train Tracks. 48 Are Dead

At least 100 hurt in Taiwan's deadliest rail disaster
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 2, 2021 12:48 AM CDT
Updated Apr 2, 2021 6:41 AM CDT
34 Dead in Taiwan Train Crash
In this photo released by National Fire Agency, rescue workers are seen near the site of a partial train derailment in Toroko Gorge in Taiwan's eastern Hualien region, Friday, April 2, 2021.   (National Fire Agency Department via AP)

A train partially derailed in eastern Taiwan on Friday after being hit by an unmanned vehicle that had rolled down a hill, killing 48 people. With the train still partly in a tunnel, survivors climbed out of windows and walked along the train's roof to reach safety after the country's deadliest railway disaster, the AP reports. The crash occurred near the Toroko Gorge scenic area on the first day of a long holiday weekend when many people were hopping trains on Taiwan's extensive rail system. The train had been carrying more than 400 people. The National Fire Service confirmed the death toll, which included the train's young, newly married driver, and said all aboard had now been accounted for. More than 100 people were injured, it said.

Railways news officer Weng Hui-ping said a construction truck operated by the railway administration slid onto the track from a work site on the hillside above. No one was in the truck at the time. He said the speed of the train was not known. 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.

(More Taiwan stories.)

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