Express Train Derails in Hualian: Carriages Tipped Over

A train derailed in Hualian County near Ruisui Township at around 3PM this afternoon, Wednesday, June 22.

Early reports say two people were injured.

Expecting a large number of injuries due to the large number of passengers and the severity of the accident, fire-fighters and a large number of ambulances were dispatched to the scene.

The number 307 Tz Chiang class express train derailed at 2:49PM, causing one carriage to fall on its side and two others lean over.

Although it hasn’t been confirmed, photos taken at the scene show warped rails possibly caused by the extremely hot weather.

The two injured passengers were a 19 year old woman and a 45 year old woman, both Chinese tourists. One woman suffered a back injury, and the other injuries to her hands. The injured were taken to hospital where their injuries were confirmed as not life-threatening.

A Taiwan Rail official bowed in apology shortly after the accident. Taiwan Rail has come under criticism over lax safety and maintenance standards. The east coast line where the accident happened recently saw a corruption controversy where officials were found to have used sub-standard parts during a recent upgrade, pocketing the difference between the price of sub-standard components and the higher-quality parts.

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