Worst Train Accident In Taiwan In 4 Decades, Allegedly Due To Hitting A Truck

Car accident in Taiwan. (Twitter/@Meharahmedkhan)

JAKARTA - At least 36 people were killed and 72 injured when a Taiwanese train skidded in a tunnel on Friday April 2, making it the worst in four decades.

The train is an express train from Taipei to Taitung that carries a lot of tourists, as well as local residents who want to return home at the start of a long holiday.

"The train exited the northern Hualien rail in eastern Taiwan. It was carrying about 350 people," said the Taiwan fire brigade.

"Between 80 and 100 people were evacuated from the first four carriages of the train, while cars five to eight have 'deformed' and are difficult to access," he added.

The Central News Agency officially said. a truck that was not parked properly allegedly rolled into the railroad tracks. The fire service showed images of what appeared to be truck debris lying beside a derailed train.

"Our train hit a truck," said a man in a video shown on Taiwan television, showing pictures of the wreckage. The truck crashed.

Taiwan's mountainous east coast is a popular tourist destination. The railway line from Taipei to the east coast is known for its tunnels and routes that loop the coast north of Hualien where the accident occurred.

The line linking Taipei with Hualien only opened in 1979. In 2018, 18 people were killed and 175 injured in a train derailed in northeastern Taiwan. In 1981, 30 people died in collisions in northern Taiwan.