Transportation Minister Lin Chia-lung will stay in his role to deal with the aftermath of one of the worst train accidents in Taiwan’s history. Lin had offered his resignation in a Facebook post on Sunday evening, after fifty people were killed and more than two hundred injured in a train crash on Friday. In the post, Lin says he takes full responsibility for the disaster.
But President Tsai Ing-wen and Premier Su Tseng-chang have declined Lin’s resignation. They say he will continue on as transportation minister to oversee the investigation into the crash.
On Monday, Lin said his only concern at present is to limit the human cost of the disaster as much as possible. He says that whether or not he leaves his position is “not important”.
The transportation ministry says that it is working with counsellors to support bereaved families. It is also organizing temporary housing and covering medical costs for those affected by the crash.
Lin says the transportation ministry will work with investigators to determine the precise cause of the accident.