Yesterday afternoon, a train passing through Yilan county in Taiwan’s north-east derailed on a coastal route popular with tourists.
The Puyuma Express 6432 was carrying 366 passengers when it went off the tracks between Dongshan and Suxin stations at 16.50.
Reports put the death toll at 18 people, while 168 others were injured, 10 of whom were in serious condition.
At least one of the passengers injured is a foreigner, a 43-year-old American woman.
Reportedly, many of the passengers who were hurled out of their seats were not wearing seat belts, which were not available to them.
The cause of the accident is still unknown at press time, with investigations still underway.
The incident has been said to be the worst rail disaster Taiwan has seen since 1991, when 30 passengers were killed and 112 injured in a collision between two trains in Miaoli.
