A preliminary investigation showed that speeding was the cause to Taiwan’s worst train disaster in decades, which claimed 18 lives and left nearly 200 people injured Sunday.<\/p>\n
An official in charge of the investigation said Monday evening that the express train was going too fast when it entered a section of a curved track, before it ran off tracks in Xinma Station, Yilan County. The radius of the curved rails is about 300 meters with a designated turning speed of 75 kph, but the train was running over 80 kph, and perhaps even over 100 kph when the accident happened.<\/p>\n
The cause of the speeding, however, still awaits further investigation, the official said.<\/p>\n
Local procuratorial authority in Yilan has filed a case to the local court for detaining the driver, identified by surname as You, on suspicion of causing deaths by negligence.<\/p>\n
The Puyuma Express No. 6432 bound for Taitung from Shulin Station with 366 passengers on board derailed at 4:50 p.m. Sunday afternoon in Yilan, leaving 18 people killed and 190 people injured. It was considered Taiwan’s worst train crash in more than three decades.<\/p>\n
According to local media reports, the driver and the conductor reported brake faults and problems with the power system before the accident happened.<\/p>\n
Mainland authorities on Monday mourned victims who died in the accident and sent condolences to their families and the injured.<\/p>\n
Two female passengers from the mainland were found injured in the derailment. One of them, aged 44 and surnamed Yao, was still in critical condition.<\/p>\n
The island’s railway authority is carrying out full safety checks into its Puyuma express trains and related infrastructure.<\/p>\n
By Monday morning the wreckage has been cleared and train services on the line were partially resumed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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