Proven Negligence And Causing Deadly Accident, Taiwan Railway Officials Imprisoned For Almost 9 Years

Officers pulled the Taroko Express train carriage that had a fatal accident at the Hualien Tunnel, Taiwan on April 2, 2022. (Antara/Reuters/Ann Wang)

JAKARTA - A Taiwan Railways Administrator (TRA) has been sentenced to nearly nine years in prison for his negligence which caused a train crash that killed 49 people.

The Hualien District Court, Friday (11/11), sentenced TRA official Pan Tangyi to eight years and 10 months in prison who is responsible for supervising the project around the site of the Taipei-Taitung Taroko Express train accident.

Field manager Lee Yi Hsiang was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in prison for his negligence in the deadly incident, according to a court ruling as quoted by Taiwan News Agency CNA, Saturday (12/11).

The court found that the accident, which occurred on April 2, 2022, was caused by a pulley truck falling from a cliff, blocking the railway line in front of a tunnel in Hualien County.

Pan was accused of being negligent in not asking the project contractor to carry out on-site rescue actions, while Lee did not attempt to notify TRA before the fatal accident occurred.

Lee tried to pull the pulley truck stuck in the bushes of the hills using a rope.

But the rope was cut and the truck fell and plunged off the hillside onto the railroad track below.

The train driver did not see the truck at all when the train came out of the tunnel, so a fatal accident could not be avoided.

Meanwhile, the victim's family rejected the court's decision because it was considered too light compared to the death toll of 49 people.

Taiwan's Transport Minister Wang Kwo Tsai respected the court's decision and emphasized that improving safety should be TRA's top priority.