Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
The Government of Honduras, through the Chancellery, expressed its solidarity and condolences to the people of the Republic of China (Taiwan) for the unfortunate railway accident that occurred today Friday in the east of this nation, which left more than 50 people killed and dozens injured.
“The people and Government of Honduras also convey their condolences to the relatives and friends of the deadly victims and wish the speedy recovery of the injured. caused by the collision between a high-speed train that was carrying about 500 passengers at the time and a truck that had invaded the railway, “the Stationery.
“My condolences to our brothers in Taiwan, Flag of Taiwan, for such an irreparable loss and I wish a speedy recovery of the wounded,” the Honduran chancellor said on social media. Lisandro Rosales.
At least 51 people died when a train collided with a vehicle that was on the tracks and derailed inside a tunnel, being the most serious rail accident on the island in decades.
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Authorities said the collision was caused by a maintenance vehicle that allegedly slipped down an embankment to the tracks, near the coastal city of Hualien in the east.
“It is suspected that the driver did not pull the handbrake enough, so the vehicle slid 20 meters to the railway tracks,” Taiwan Railway Authority deputy director Feng Hui told reporters. -sheng.
Photos of local media taken at the site showed the back of a yellow platform truck overturned near the train. According to the Taiwan Railway Agency, 146 passengers were taken to hospital and 51 people died, including a French citizen, while two Japanese and a resident of Macau were injured.
The President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen he visited an emergency center in the capital, Taipei, and said he would investigate what happened. “Of course, we will clarify the cause of the incident that has caused so many casualties,” he told reporters.
“I hope the dead rest in peace and the wounded recover soon,” the official added. Images published by local media UDN showed that the front of the train inside the tunnel had been devastated.
The Taiwan Red Cross also released images of lifeguards in helmets and flashlights walking on the roof of the damaged train inside the tunnel to reach the survivors.
“Violent and sudden shock”
Passengers in the back of the convoy were able to get out of the crash unscathed. “I felt like there had been a violent, sudden shock and I fell to the ground,” a woman told the television network. “We broke the window to get on the roof of the train and get out.”
This eight-car train, which carried about 480 passengers, was headed from Taipei to the southeastern city of Taitung. Rescuers worked for hours to rescue passengers trapped in the tunnel and get them out.
By mid-afternoon, authorities indicated no one was left inside the wagons, although dozens of lifeguards remained at the scene, according to AFP reporters on the ground.
Holiday weekend
The accident coincides with the beginning of the annual feast of tomb cleaning, A long holiday weekend that fills country roads and railroads.
During this period, the inhabitants usually return to their native villages to clean the graves of their relatives and make offerings. The eastern Taiwan railway line is usually a tourist attraction because it runs along its splendid and less populated east coast.
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Through multiple tunnels and bridges it winds through the mountains and spectacular gorges before descending the Huadong Valley. This Friday’s accident is one of the worst railway catastrophes in Taiwan known.
The last major derailment dates back to 2018, when 18 people died at the southern end of the same line. The driver of this eight-car train was then charged with negligent homicide, more than 200 of the 366 passengers were injured.
This accident was the worst since 1991, when 30 passengers died and 112 were injured in the collision of two trains in Miaoli. The Apple Daily reported that the worst accident on the island was in 1948 and left 64 dead.