Train accident injuries rise, death toll drops to 50
Staff writer, with CNA
The number of people injured in a Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) train accident in Hualien County on Friday has increased to 200, the Central Emergency Operation Center (CEOC) said.
As of press time last night, the confirmed death toll had been revised from 51 to 50 by the Hualien District Prosecutors’ Office after DNA testing.
Of the injured, 45 are still in hospital, including three people who are in critical condition, CEOC commander and Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said.
Workers use cranes and diggers to remove a train wreckage from a stretch of railroad in Hualien County yesterday.
Taroko Express Crash: Responders urged not to neglect self-care
By Wang Chin-yi and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writer
Doctors yesterday called on first responders to care for their mental health and watch for signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as rescuers continue to handle the aftermath of Friday’s train derailment in Hualien County.
The crash was the nation’s worst rail tragedy in decades, killing 50 and injuring 200 as of yesterday after the Hualien District Prosecutors’ Office revised the death toll down from 51 following DNA testing.
Taroko Express No. 408 was traveling from New Taipei City to Taitung when it crashed inside the Cingshuei Tunnel (清水隧道) in Hualien’s Sioulin Township (秀林) after hitting a crane truck that had slid down onto the tracks from a nearby work site.
SOLE SURVIVOR: An Amis family of four purchased standing tickets on the train after missing an earlier one to Hualien. Three died in Friday’s crashBy Lin Hsin-han, Wang Chun-chi and Lin Ching-lun / Staff reporters, with CNA
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday asked the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) to open an account to accept donations for victims of the Taroko Express No. 408 train crash and their families.
Su made the request in response to inquiries about where to donate to victims of Friday’s crash and their families.
As of 7pm yesterday, 51 people were reported dead and at least 188 injured after the train, heading from New Taipei City’s Shulin Railway Station for Taitung, hit a crane truck that had slid down a hill from a nearby construction site onto the rails, as the train was
A somber mood yesterday pervaded the crash site of Taroko Express No. 408, as families of those killed in the incident performed a “soul summoning” (招魂儀式), a traditional Taiwanese folk ritual to call for the deceased soul to return home.
The crash occurred at 9:28am on Friday when the train, which had departed from New Taipei City’s Shulin Railway Station for Taitung, slammed into a crane truck at the entrance of the Cingshuei Tunnel (清水隧道) in Hualien’s Sioulin Township (秀林).
As of 7pm yesterday, 51 fatalities had been reported, the Taiwan Railways Administration said.
Many grieving family members wept aloud and some needed