According to Taoist mourning traditions, the seventh day after a person’s death has a special significance. That’s why on Thursday, seven days after the Hualien train crash claimed the lives of 50 people, Taiwan’s railways echoed with a very special sign of remembrance.
The sound of the train’s horn fills the air as it passes Qingshui Tunnel on Thursday morning. And joining it are the horns of trains in Hualien, Taitung, Kaohsiung, Chiayi and Pingtung. The time is 9:28am, the precise moment when the Taroko Express No. 408 derailed last Friday morning. It’s a gesture of mourning for the fifty people who died. And drivers across the country are also wearing yellow ribbons in remembrance.
Pingtung station chief Kuo Kun-yueh explains. He says the drivers’ union wanted to mourn the two heroic drivers who died in the crash. He says he hopes they will hear the sound on their journey to heaven.
Some people came to train stations especially to witness the moment. One woman says she wants to show that the people of Chiayi won’t forget the two drivers.
The show of unity echoing around Taiwan’s train stations is a poignant way to remember the victims of last week’s tragedy.