A section of a train that derailed inside a tunnel in the mountains of Hualien, in eastern Taiwan on Friday. Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images
At least 48 people are dead and more than 100 injured in Taiwan after an express passenger train partially derailed inside a mountain tunnel on Friday, in what is being described as the island's worst-ever rail disaster.
Photos and video taken after the crash showed a scene of cars torn apart inside the tunnel and passengers crawling out of the wreckage.
#LATEST #Taiwan train derailment: At least 41 confirmed dead, around 200 still trapped in carriages; rescue ops underway. pic.twitter.com/zWaUg2pJux
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) April 2, 2021
"People just fell all over each other, on top of one another," a woman who survived the crash told domestic television, according to Reuters. "It was terrifying. There were whole families there."
The crash occurred just as the Taroko Express, carrying more than 400 passengers, was entering a tunnel along a coastal stretch of the line in the island's mountainous east. A construction truck operated by the railway slid down a hillside and onto the track, Taiwan Railways Administration news officer Weng Hui-ping, said, causing the train to partially derail inside a mountain tunnel.
Five of the train's eight cars lodged inside the tunnel, according to Taiwan News. Other Taiwan media said many of the people were standing at the time of the collision because the train was so crowded.
"Our train crashed into a truck," one man said in a video on Taiwan television, according to Reuters. "The truck came falling down."
The train was en route from the capital, Taipei, to Taitung along the island's southeast coast, when the crash and derailment occurred in Hualien near the stunning Taroko Gorge scenic area.
A section of a derailed train is seen cordoned off near the Taroko Gorge area in Hualien, Taiwan, on Friday. Chiang Ying-ying/AP
Volunteer rescue workers from the Tzu Chi Buddhist Foundation said children were among the dozens who escaped the train cars.
"We see people coming off the train and they look shaken and nervous," Chen Tzu-chong, a Tzu Chi team leader on site, told The Associated Press.
Weng said the speed of the train at the time of impact was not known. He said the crash was the worst-ever in Taiwan.
The National Fire Service confirmed that 48 people were dead and more than 100 injured.
Many of the passengers would have been traveling for the first day of the four-day Qingming, or Tomb Sweeping Festival — an annual pilgrimage to the gravesites of ancestors.
In a tweet, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said emergency services "have been fully mobilized to rescue & assist the passengers & railway staff affected. We will continue to do everything we can to ensure their safety in the wake of this heartbreaking incident."
In response to a train derailment in Hualien, Taiwan, our emergency services have been fully mobilized to rescue & assist the passengers & railway staff affected. We will continue to do everything we can to ensure their safety in the wake of this heartbreaking incident.
— 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) April 2, 2021
Taiwanese railway officials will be required to conduct sweeps along other tracks in the system to "prevent this from happening again," Su Tseng-chang, the country's premier, said.
Taiwan News quoted officials as saying the crash had delayed or disrupted the schedules of 16 other trains, and that it would take at least a week for train travel to return to normal.
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