At least 17 people were killed and more than 120 others injured after a passenger train derailed late Sunday afternoon in northeastern Taiwan, government officials said.
Images on social media showed the mangled wreckage of the train and injured passengers lying on the ground.
Video footage showed emergency crews pulling people from the wreckage.
The Puyuma express train, which began its journey in New Taipei City, in northern Taiwan, was carrying about 310 people toward Taitung, a city on Taiwan’s southeast coast, when it went off the tracks about 4:50 p.m. local time in Yilan County, according to local news reports.
The Taiwan Railways Administration said the train had been moving between two stations beforehand.
“As of 6:30 p.m., there are 17 dead on site and 126 people injured,” a spokesman told the local news media.
Rescue services were on the scene, with the Central News Agency reporting that more than 30 people were still trapped. The injured were being treated in four hospitals, The Associated Press reported.
The cause of the accident was being investigated.
Source : Nytimes
