36 feared dead in Taiwan train derailment: railway police

Dozens of people are believed to have died in a train derailment in eastern Taiwan on Friday, railway police said.

In their latest rescue operation update, police said 36 passengers were classified as “out of hospital cardiac arrest” — a term for someone showing no signs of life.

The statement said 72 people were still trapped inside train carriages while 61 passengers had been sent to hospital.

The accident occurred on Taiwan’s eastern railway line around 9.30am (0130 GMT) near the coastal city of Hualien.

The eight-car train was making its way from Taipei to the southeastern city of Taitung and was carrying some 350 passengers, the rescue centre said.

The accident occurred at the start of the busy annual Tomb Sweeping festival, a long holiday weekend when Taiwan’s roads and railways are usually packed.

Taiwan’s eastern railway line is usually a popular tourist draw down its dramatic and less populated eastern coastline.

With the help of multiple tunnels and bridges, it winds its way through towering mountains and dramatic gorges before making its way down Huadong Valley.

— AFP