Judicial investigators have taken steps for the provisional seizure of assets belonging to a construction site manager implicated in a train crash that killed 50 people and injured 200 on Friday.
Taroko Express No. 408, traveling from New Taipei City to Taitung on Friday morning, derailed as it entered the Cingshuei Tunnel (清水隧道) in Hualien’s Sioulin Township (秀林) after it hit a crane truck that had slid down a slope from the work site onto the rails.
Lee Yi-hsiang (李義祥), who is the site manager and the truck’s driver, was detained on Sunday after he was released on NT$500,000 bail on Saturday.
Photo: CNA
The Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said it would provide legal assistance to victims and their families applying for provisional seizure of assets owned by Lee.
The move aims to prevent Lee from transferring his personal assets, or those under his two companies, Yi Hsiang Industry Co (義祥工業社) and Yi Cheng Construction Co (義程營造), as civil lawsuits seeking financial compensation are likely to be filed, prosecutors said.
Ministry of Justice officials and prosecutors have set up an emergency coordination center to provide resources and services for rescue efforts at the crash site.
The government-sponsored Association for Victims Support has also sent counselors and social workers to help victims and their families.
Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-hsiang (蔡清祥) yesterday instructed judicial investigators and forensic teams to prioritize identifying the victims, and provide assistance and counseling to their families.
He also instructed social workers and volunteers to help in recovery work, post-mortem procedures and funeral arrangements.
Hualien Chief District Prosecutor Yu Hsiu-tuan (俞秀端) said that investigators have asked the public for images taken shortly before and after the crash, as photographs and videos have emerged purportedly showing Lee on a slope looking at the wreckage with another man beside him.
The man is reportedly a site supervisor from another construction firm, which won the tender for the construction from the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) and subcontracted the work to Yi Hsiang Industry.
She said the images are crucial to the investigation to test Lee’s claim that he was alone and the sole driver of the truck, and that no construction work took place on Friday after the TRA had ordered all work be halted during the Tomb Sweeping Day long weekend.
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