Taiwan: 51 killed, many injured as train derails in tunnel

In Taiwan, at least 51 people have been killed and dozens more injured after a train carrying nearly 500 passengers, crashed and then derailed in a tunnel. 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. The National Fire Service confirmed the death toll and said 66 people had been sent to hospital as the island faced its worst rail disaster in decades.

The accident came on the first day of the annual Tomb Sweeping Festival, which lasts four days and sees people travel to their hometowns to pay respects at the graves of their ancestors and gather with family. Taiwan is a mountainous island where most of its 24 million people are squeezed onto flatlands along the northern and western coasts. The lightly populated east is popular with tourists, many of whom arrive along the coastal railway lines to avoid treacherous mountain roads.The railway line from Taipei down the east coast is renowned for its tunnels and route that hugs the coast just north of Hualien where the crash occurred.

Taiwan's extensive rail system has undergone substantial upgrades in recent years, particularly with the addition of a high-speed line connecting the capital Taipei with cities to the south.The state-owned railways are generally reliable and efficient, but have had a patchy safety record over the years.