Taiwan train crash death toll rises to 48

An express train derailed in a tunnel in Hualien County in eastern Taiwan on Friday, leaving 48 people dead and 66 others injured, fire authorities said.

All the passengers trapped inside the partially derailed train were rescued, the authorities added. The eight-car train had about 490 passengers on board and the rear five cars were severely damaged, they said.

Local media speculated that a railway works vehicle, which was not parked properly, had slid onto the tracks and hit the train.

The media showed footage of passengers escaping from the train in the Chingshui Tunnel.

The Taiwan Railway Administration said the train was travelling from Shulin, an inner city district in southwestern New Taipei City, to Taitung on the southeast coast.

President Tsai Ing-wen instructed relevant government agencies including the transport ministry to do their utmost in rescue efforts, according to her spokesperson.

The Chinese government on Friday extended condolences to families of the victims of the train accident.

Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of China's State Council, said that the mainland has been monitoring the rescue operation "with a strong concern."

Friday marked the first day of the Qingming tomb-sweeping festival, a four-day holiday period dedicated to offering prayers to ancestors.

In October 2018, an express train in northeastern Taiwan derailed and crashed, killing 18 people.