Fifty people have died in one of the worst rail accidents in Taiwan’s history. The crash took place on Friday on the first day of the Tombsweeping Festival holiday, a time of year when many people travel around the country. Rescue and recovery efforts are ongoing and some fear the death toll could still rise. Here’s what we know so far.
The train in question, Taroko Express No. 408, left Shulin Station in northern Taiwan at 7:16am. It was heading south down Taiwan’s east coast, bound for the city of Taitung. The Central Emergency Operation Center says the train was carrying 494 passengers and four crew members at the time of the crash.
Around two hours into the journey, at 9:28am, the train emerged from a tunnel on Taiwan’s east coast. Two hundred and fifty metres ahead, near the entrance to another tunnel, a flatbed truck had rolled down onto the track. Investigators say that the train was probably travelling near its top speed of 130km/h. That means the train driver had less than seven seconds to respond once he saw the truck. At that speed, the train would have needed more than double that time to come to a stop.
Police have arrested the truck driver and are seeking one other person present at the scene. At the moment, investigators are not sure why the parked truck rolled down onto the track. They say either the driver did not properly engage the emergency brake, or there was a mechanical failure.
The collision caused the first five cars of the train to derail as they entered the tunnel ahead. Passengers in those cars were the worst affected. As of Sunday afternoon, authorities had removed the back four cars, but the front four are still in the tunnel. Rail authorities say the process of removing the cars and repairing the track means it will be another week before normal service on the line resumes.
As of Monday afternoon, the Central Emergency Operation Center says fifty people are confirmed dead. Another 200 are injured, including four in critical condition.
Rail authorities were already in the process of installing AI-based surveillance systems along Taiwan’s rail network when the accident occurred. Those systems will monitor dangerous sections of rail to provide drivers with an early warning if any danger arises. Authorities say they should finish installation by the end of next year.