TheCable

A passenger train carrying about 490 people, on Friday, derailed and crashed in a tunnel in eastern Taiwan, killing at least 41 and injuring many more.

The eight-carriage train, said to be full, reportedly hit a construction vehicle that had slipped onto the tracks at the tunnel’s mouth.

Some of the passengers are believed to have been travelling to celebrate the Tomb Sweeping festival where people pay their respect to deceased family members.

According to Taiwan authorities, rescue efforts are underway to free passengers that are still trapped inside the carriages that were badly damaged in the accident.

More than 80 people have been reportedly evacuated from the front four carriages of the train hours after the crash, but about eight carriages were said to be “deformed” and “hard to access”.

The train driver is said to be among the dead.

Taiwan President Tsai ING-wen said the country’s emergency services have been deployed in the scene of the crash.

” In response to a train derailment in Hualien, Taiwan, our emergency services have been fully mobilized to rescue & assist the passengers & railway staff affected. We will continue to do everything we can to ensure their safety in the wake of this heartbreaking incident, ” he tweeted.

In response to a train derailment in Hualien, Taiwan, our emergency services have been fully mobilized to rescue & assist the passengers & railway staff affected. We will continue to do everything we can to ensure their safety in the wake of this heartbreaking incident.

— 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) April 2, 2021

The last major train derailment in the country occurred in north-eastern Taiwan in 2018, which left 18 people dead and 175 injured.