Taiwan truck driver appears in court over fatal train crash
- The construction site boss whose vehicle rolled down a hill and was hit by an express was released on bail
- Accident left 51 people dead, making it the island’s worst rail disaster in seven decades
A Taiwanese construction site manager whose truck rolled down a hill and collided with a train appeared in court on Saturday, local media reported.
The accident on Friday killed 51 passengers and crew and injured nearly 180, making it the island’s worst rail disaster in seven decades. The dead included two engineers and a French national.
The first two carriages of the train, which was travelling from New Taipei City to Taitung, derailed after striking the truck as it entered a tunnel near Hualien.
The Taipei Times reported that the construction site boss was not in the vehicle at the time of the accident.
The Taiwan Transport Safety Board has started an investigation into the accident and investigators are now looking at whether the truck’s brakes had been properly applied or whether there was a mechanical failure.
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At least 48 feared dead after express train derails in Taiwan
The truck driver was delivered to the Hualien prosecutor’s office after being questioned by police on Saturday, according to Apple Daily.