Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
The Government of Honduras, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has expressed its views solidarity and condolences people of the Republic of China (Taiwan) for the unfortunate railway accident that took place on Friday in the east of that nation, which left over 50 people died and dozens injured.
“The people and government of Honduras also convey their condolences to the families and friends of the fatal victims and wish the wounded a speedy recovery. He also expresses his solidarity with the relief forces caring for those affected by the unfortunate accident. . caused by the collision between a high-speed train carrying about 500 passengers at that time and a truck which had invaded the railway line “, CHANCELLERY.
“My condolences to our brothers in Taiwan, the Flag of Taiwan, for such an irreparable loss and I wish a speedy recovery for the wounded,” the Honduran foreign minister said on his social networks. Image of substitute Lisandro Rosales.
At least 51 people were killed when a train collided with a vehicle on rails and derailed inside a tunnel, the worst railway accident on the island in decades.
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Authorities said the collision was caused by a maintenance vehicle that had slipped on a track embankment near the east coast town of Hualien.
“It is suspected that the driver did not apply the parking brake enough, so the vehicle slipped 20 meters to the railways,” Taiwan Railway Authority Deputy Director Feng Hui-sheng told reporters.
Local media photos taken on the spot showed the back of a yellow truck overturned next to 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 that what happened would be investigated. “Of course, we will clarify the cause of the incident that caused so many casualties,” he told reporters.
“I hope that the deceased will rest in peace and that the wounded will recover soon,” the official added. Images published by the local UDN press showed that the front of the train inside the tunnel was devastated.
The Taiwan Red Cross also released lifeboat images wearing helmets and flashlights that went on the roof of the wrecked train inside the tunnel to reach the survivors.
“Sudden violent agitation”
The passengers behind the convoy managed to escape unharmed from the accident. “I felt like there was a sudden, violent, shaking 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, carrying about 480 passengers, was heading from Taipei to the southeastern city of Taitung. Rescuers worked long hours to rescue passengers trapped in the tunnel and get them out.
By mid-afternoon, authorities said no one was inside the cars, although dozens of rescuers remained on the scene, according to AFP reporters on the ground.
Holiday weekend
The accident coincides with the beginning of the year annual tomb cleaning festival, a long holiday weekend that fills the country’s roads and railways.
During this period, the inhabitants generally return to their hometowns to clean the graves of their relatives and to make offerings. The eastern Taiwan railway line is often a tourist attraction as it stretches along its splendid and less populated east coast.
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Through several tunnels and bridges it winds through spectacular mountains and gorges before descending through the Huadong Valley. This Friday’s accident is one of the worst railway catastrophes recorded in Taiwan.
The last major derailment dates back to 2018, when 18 people died at the southern end of the same line. The driver of that eight-car train was then charged with negligent homicide, with more than 200 of the 366 passengers injured.
This accident was the worst since 1991, when 30 passengers were killed and 112 injured in a collision of two trains at Miaoli. The Apple Daily reported that the worst accident on the island was in 1948 and left 64 dead.