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WORLD NEWS Monday 22 october 2018

One of Taiwan's fastest trains derails, killing at least 18

By RALPH JENNINGS rescuers could be seen car-
DONGSHAN TOWNSHIP, rying what appeared to be
Taiwan (AP) — One of Tai- a body wrapped in white
wan's fastest passenger plastic away from the site.
trains derailed Sunday on At the scene, searchers
a curve along a popular walked through an upright
weekend route, killing at car with flashlights. The
least 18 people and injuring search-and-rescue work
more than 170 others, au- was to continue until early
thorities said. Monday to make sure ev-
The Puyuma express was eryone aboard was ac-
carrying more than 360 counted for, Premier Wil-
passengers from a suburb liam Lai told reporters short-
of Taipei in the north to ly after midnight.
Taitung, a city on Taiwan's "The underlying cause
southeast coast, when it should be investigated
went off the tracks shortly to the maximum extent
before 5 p.m., the govern- to avoid anything like this
ment said in a statement. happening in the future,"
There was no immediate This photo released by Military News Agency shows a general view at the site of a train derailment Lai said. "We will make the
word on the cause of the in Lian in northern Taiwan on Sunday, Oct. 21 2018. whole thing transparent."
accident. Associated Press Ensuring that rail traffic
Most of the deaths were in goes back to normal is also
the first car, and it was un- died right away," Chen turned on their sides. firefighters with lights on a priority, he said.
clear whether other peo- said. Local television reports said their hard hats peered un- Most people who were se-
ple were trapped in the Earlier, the government passengers tried to escape derneath as a crane pre- riously hurt suffered head
train, according to a gov- put the death toll as high through windows and that pared to upend it. The fire- injuries and one was bleed-
ernment spokesman, who as 22, but the National Fire bystanders gathered to fighters were joined by sol- ing internally, said Lin Chih-
spoke on the customary Agency, citing the Cabinet help them before rescuers diers and Buddhist charity min, deputy director of
condition of anonymity. spokesman's office, later arrived. workers who gathered on Luodong Boai Hospital,
Some passengers were reduced that figure and Hours after the accident, both sides of the tracks. where four people were in
crushed to death, Minis- blamed a miscalculation. one of the eight cars was Soldiers removed bodies to intensive care. The hospital
try of National Defense Photos from the scene just seen tipped over at about identify them, but nightfall had treated 65 people to-
spokesman Chen Chung- south of the city of Luodong a 75-degree angle, with the complicated the rescue tal. The wreck happened at
chi said. showed the train's cars in entire right side destroyed. work. a railway station called Hsin
"Their train car turned over. a zig-zag formation near Fearing people may be On a live feed provided by Ma, but the train was not
They were crushed, so they the tracks. Five cars were trapped beneath the car, Taiwan's United Daily News, scheduled to stop there.q