Seventeen people were killed and 156 injured when a mountain train derailed on a bridge in Alishan yesterday.
Most of the injured suffered fractures or breathing difficulties. Four of the dead were children.
Yesterday's accident was the worst of the 10 that have taken place on the Alishan railway since 1962, according to the Taiwan Forestry Bureau which is responsible for the railway's operation.
PHOTO: YANG KUO-TANG, TAIPEI TIMES
The accident took place at 2:07pm, shortly after the train, carryings around 200 people, departed from Alishan Railway Station.
The train was composed of four carriages, of which three derailed with one tumbling 6m into a chasm by the side of the track.
"The cars suddenly left the rails and fell over," one female passenger -- her face and hands streaked with blood -- told FTV cable news from a hospital bed.
"The car was filled with people. Some were standing," said the woman, who wasn't identified. "I looked at my daughter and saw her internal organs. I don't know where my daughter is now."
Witnesses said the tragedy might have occurred because the train was traveling too fast.
Police have detained the train driver, who said that the brakes on the train failed, a claim backed up by initial investigations into the causes of the crash.
The ruggedness of the mountain terrain and limited road access to the area made rescue operations very difficult, rescuers said.
Helicopters were dispatched to help evacuate injured passengers.
The derailment tragedy was nearly compounded when one helicopter, packed with injured travelers, was forced to make an emergency landing after catching its tail on a tree as it was taking off.
Fortunately, all 15 people on the helicopter, five crew and 10 injured travelers, were safe after the emergency landing.
All passengers on the train were evacuated by 4:39pm. The injured were sent to local hospitals.
The Council of Agriculture said yesterday that the families of those who died may claim at least NT$4.1 million in compensation from the railway system's travel insurance.
The Alishan train service has been completely suspended since the accident. There is as yet no indication of when it might restart
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) cancelled his schedule, which involved watching a baseball game in Taipei, because of the tragedy. Chen, still managing to preside over the game's opening ceremony, apologized for his unexpected departure.
Premier Yu Shyi-kun asked government agencies to offer any help they could to the rescue operations
Minister of National Defense Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明) dispatched soldiers to join the rescue operations immediately after being informed of the accident.
Soldiers bringing medical kits and warm clothing arrived at the scene at 3:30pm. Two helicopters were deployed to help transport the injured.
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in