48 killed, dozens more injured as train derails in tunnel in Taiwan

At least 48 people have been killed and dozens more injured after a train carrying nearly 500 crashed and then derailed in a tunnel in Taiwan. Official sources said, the eight-carriage train reportedly hit a construction vehicle that had slipped onto the tracks at the tunnel’s mouth. The train, from the capital Taipei to Taitung, was carrying people travelling for a long-weekend annual holiday. Rescue efforts are ongoing.

Friday’s crash is Taiwan’s worst rail disaster in decades. President Tsai Ing-wen has sent her condolences to the families of the victims and ordered an investigation.