Taiwan train derailment kills 18 and injures more than 170

At least 18 people have died and more than 170 were injured when an express train derailed in northeastern Taiwan.

The Puyuma service, one of the fastest trains in Taiwan, was carrying 366 passengers at the time of the accident, the worst rail accident in the country in 27 years, says Channel News Asia.

All eight carriages of the train came off the rails, with five of those overturning, Taiwan’s transport ministry reported.

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Most of the fatalities occurred in the first carriage, according to local authorities. CNN reports that among the dead are eight members of the same family, who were “travelling back from a wedding in New Taipei city”.

Sky News reports that one passenger said the train had been “shaking during the journey”, although Lu Chieh-Shen, deputy chief of the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA), insisted the train was in “pretty good condition”.

Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, took to social media to say that she was “deeply saddened” by the “major tragedy”.

“I mourn and offer condolences to the families of those who died, and wish that those injured can quickly get well,” she said in a Facebook post. “Let us give support together to those who are providing disaster relief on the front line.”

The accident in Taiwan comes just days after at least 58 people were killed by a train at a level crossing in northern India, where they had gathered to watch celebrations for Dussehra, a Hindu festival.