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2021 Hualien train derailment

Coordinates: 24°13′02″N 121°41′18″E / 24.2171°N 121.6883°E / 24.2171; 121.6883
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Hualien train derailment
The derailed Taroko Express trainset,
as seen from outside the entrance to the tunnel
Map
Details
Date2 April 2021
09:28 NST (01:28 UTC)
LocationQingshui Tunnel, Xiulin
Hualien County
Between Heren and Chongde stations (51.45 km (31.97 mi) from Su'aoxin station)[1]
Coordinates24°13′02″N 121°41′18″E / 24.2171°N 121.6883°E / 24.2171; 121.6883
CountryTaiwan
LineNorth-link line, Eastern Trunk line
OperatorTaiwan Railways Administration
OwnerTaiwan Railways Administration
Service408 Taroko Express bound for Taitung
Incident typeDerailment, collision
Statistics
Trains1
Vehicles1
Passengers492[2]
Crew4[2]
Deaths51[3]
Injured186[3]
Route map
Legend
km
47.5
 Heren
New Heren Tunnel
Heren Tunnel
Daqingshui Brook
51.45
 Crash site
New Qingshui Tunnel
Qingshui Tunnel
Shigong Brook
New Chongde Tunnel
Chongde Tunnel
57.6
 Chongde

On 2 April 2021, at 09:28 NST (01:28 UTC), a Taroko Express train operated by the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) derailed at the north entrance of Qingshui Tunnel in Heren Section, Xiulin Township, Hualien County, Taiwan, killing at least 51 people and injuring at least 186 others.[2][4][5][6][3] At the time of the accident, the train was carrying 488 passengers.[2][7] The eight-carriage train derailed in a tunnel north of Hualien City, after colliding with a construction truck which had fallen down a slope onto the tracks.[8]

It is the deadliest train accident in Taiwan since at least 1948, when a train fire may have killed up to 64 people.[9] It was called Taiwan's deadliest train accident by an official of the TRA.[10]

Background

Interior of a Taroko Express in 2021

The accident occurred on the first day of a four-day weekend in celebration of the Qingming Festival, which is typically a period of high traffic with people visiting the graves of deceased family members.[11][12] Many passengers had been standing at the time of the accident.[13]

The Taroko Express is operated using eight-car, 376-seat trains.[14][15] It is part of the Tze-chiang limited express service, the highest-class service in the TRA system. Since the Taroko Express is a tilting train[a] with a maximum operating speed of 130 km/h (81 mph), the TRA originally did not sell standing tickets for these trains due to safety concerns.[12][17] However, in order to increase the supply of available tickets during periods of high demand, the TRA began selling up to 120 standing tickets for each trainset on 2 May 2019, after it said it had performed detailed safety tests.[17]

The route involved runs along the mountainous east coast of Taiwan, passing by the Taroko National Park and the Taroko Gorge, the namesake of the express and a popular destination for the long weekend.[4][15][18] The Qingshui Tunnel is a pair of single-tracked tunnels that cut through Qingshui Cliff. In April 2019, the TRA began construction to improve the slope stability near the north end of the tunnel by constructing a rock shed over the western track.[19][20] At the time of the accident, construction was nearly complete.[19]

Accident

Qingshui Cliffs from the north in 2009. The second tunnel from the right near the bottom is the accident site. The image on the right is an annotated version.

On 2 April 2021, a southbound Taroko Express train numbered 408 was en route from Shulin in New Taipei to Taitung. The train was scheduled to arrive at Hualien at 09:39 NST.[21]

At 09:28 NST (01:28 UTC), the train derailed as it was entering Qingshui Tunnel, between Heren and Chongde.[22][23] It was carrying 492 passengers and 4 staff members in eight carriages,[24][2][12] and was travelling on the eastern track.[25] According to media reports, a flatbed truck[b] used in the slope stabilization project slid about 20 m (66 ft) down the side of a hill, fell onto the tracks, and was struck by the oncoming train.[13][28][8][10] At the time, no construction was actively being carried out, in observance of the holiday.[19][25] The driver of the truck was not in the vehicle during the accident, but was in the nearby construction site office.[28][29]

Cars 8 and 7 at the front of the train, which collided with the construction truck before entering the tunnel, were severely deformed. Some of the remaining cars then struck the walls of the tunnel, causing major damage. Cars 8 to 3 are believed to have been trapped in the tunnel when the train came to a halt.[30]

Casualties

At least 51 people[3] were confirmed dead during the incident, including 49 passengers, the train driver and a train assistant,[31][3] while another 186 were injured, several in critical condition.[3][32] The majority of the deceased were in carriages 7 and 8. Seventy-two people were temporarily trapped in the wreckage of the train.[5] Classes from an elementary school and university were among the passengers; four students died and 32 more were injured, including a teacher.[33] Two US nationals and a French national are among the dead,[24][26][34] while two citizens from Japan, one person from Australia,[c] and one citizen from Macau were injured.[35][24][3]

Aftermath

Medical officers and other officials assist with the rescue effort

More than 150 emergency personnel, including search and rescue workers and members of the military, were dispatched to the derailment site.[12] Over 80 people were evacuated from the train's rear four carriages, while the remaining four carriages were described as "deformed" and harder to access.[13] The rear two carriages had been removed from the tracks by the next morning, while the removal of the third awaited repair of the associated track.[36]

Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung and Minister of Interior Hsu Kuo-yung coordinated rescue efforts along with other ministries and local government officials.[37][5] Minister Lin stated that he would take full responsibility for the crash, adding that he would not resign until the aftermath had been dealt with.[36][35]

The Executive Yuan ordered the lowering to half-mast of national flags at all public schools and government agencies for three days beginning on 3 April in honor of those who died.[38]

A TRA official stated that the route should be repaired within a week, and that in the meantime, trains would run on a parallel track, with delays of about 15 to 20 minutes.[36]

Investigation

The Taiwan Transportation Safety Board will conduct an investigation.[39] The driver of the construction truck, named Lee (aged 45), was taken into police custody and is currently under investigation into the cause of the disaster.[22][40] He is suspected of parking the vehicle without properly engaging the parking brake, causing the truck to roll down the slope and collide with the train.[41] Prosecutors have requested an arrest warrant for the manager of the construction site, who may be accused of causing death due to negligence and of forging documents.[42][43]

The Central Emergency Operation Center reported that the train's dashcam footage had been recovered.[3]

Reactions

Among those who first surveyed the crash site was Premier Su Tseng-chang.[44]

On 3 April 2021, President Tsai Ing-wen visited the crash site and also the hospital where dozens of injured victims were being treated.[45]

The American Institute in Taiwan, European Economic and Trade Office, John Dennis of British Office Taipei,[46] the Japan–Taiwan Exchange Association,[47] and Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping,[48] China's Taiwan Affairs Office and Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits offered condolences.[49][50]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2021 Hualien train derailment.

Notes

  1. ^ Carriages used on the Taroko Express belong to the TEMU1000 series [ja; zh], where the 'T' stands for "tilting".[15][16]
  2. ^ Sources have also referred to the construction vehicle as a "crane truck".[26][27]
  3. ^ The Guardian reported that there were two injured people from Australia.[24]

References

  1. ^ https://archive.is/20210403052054/https://www.cna.com.tw/news/firstnews/202104025003.aspx
  2. ^ a b c d e Wang, Cindy (2 April 2021). "High-Speed Train Derails in Taiwan's East Coast, Killing 41". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2 April 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h https://archive.is/20210403152220/https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202104030012
  4. ^ a b "Passenger train carrying 490 derails in Taiwan, killing at least 50 and injuring dozens". CNN. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ a b c Zhang Qi; Guo Zhixuan; Yu Xiaohan (2 April 2021). 台鐵太魯閣號事故 含司機員在內已知50死【更新】 (in Traditional Chinese). Central News Agency. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  6. ^ Amy Qin; Amy Chang Chien (1 April 2021). "Taiwan Train Derails in Tunnel, Killing at Least 1 Person". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 April 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Chang Chi; Lu Tai-cheng; Frances Huang (2 April 2021). "Multiple passengers reported with 'no vital signs' in train derailment". Taipei. Focus Taiwan. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  8. ^ a b Hille, Kathrin (2 April 2021). "Taiwan train derailment kills 51 and injures scores more". Financial Times.
  9. ^ Staff, Reuters (2 April 2021). "Factbox: Taiwan's worst train accidents". Reuters. Retrieved 2 April 2021. {{cite news}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  10. ^ a b JENNINGS, RALPH; LAI, JOHNSON (2 April 2021). "Train hits truck that slid onto track in Taiwan, killing 51". archive.is.
  11. ^ "Taiwan: At least 34 killed after train derails inside tunnel". BBC News. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d Davidson, Helen (2 April 2021). "Taiwan train crash: dozens dead after express service derails in tunnel". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  13. ^ a b c Blanchard, Ben (1 April 2021). "Taiwan train crash kills 36 in deadliest rail tragedy in decades". Reuters. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Driver killed as train plows into truck". Taipei Times. 18 January 2012. Archived from the original on 28 February 2018.
  15. ^ a b c "News Releases: January 9, 2015". Hitachi Global. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021.
  16. ^ "政府統計資訊網 Government Statistics". archive.is (in Chinese). 2 April 2021.
  17. ^ a b Chuang, C. (1 May 2019). 普悠瑪.太魯閣號5/2起賣站票 限當天購買 [TRA Sets to Begin Selling Standing Tickets on May 2]. 公視新聞網 PNN. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021.
  18. ^ https://archive.is/20210403023129/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/2/taiwan-train-de-rails-many-feared
  19. ^ a b c 汪淑芬 (2 April 2021). 太魯閣號事故 台鐵早已行文連假期間停工. Central News Agency (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  20. ^ 田德財; 田俊浩 (2 April 2021). 台鐵北迴線為什麼有貨車滑落. KS News (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Train schedule/code inquiry". Taiwan Railway. Archived from the original on 3 April 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  22. ^ a b "36 reported with no vital signs, 44 injured in train derailment". Focus Taiwan. Central News Agency. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  23. ^ Everington, Keoni (2 April 2021). "36 lose vital signs after train derails in eastern Taiwan". Taiwan News. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  24. ^ a b c d Davidson, Helen (3 April 2021). "Taiwan train crash: prosecutors question truck driver over disaster". The Guardian.
  25. ^ a b 鄭瑋奇 (2 April 2021). "台鐵出軌》清明連假台鐵工程全暫停 太魯閣號卻撞上工程車出軌" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Liberty Times. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  26. ^ a b https://archive.is/20210403103439/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4167712
  27. ^ https://archive.is/20210403113021/https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/train-04022021100325.html
  28. ^ a b "【台鐵出軌】關鍵28分鐘！工程車亂停無聲滑落埋殺機　真相在這台機器" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Apple Daily. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  29. ^ 王思慧 (2 April 2021). "疑忘拉手煞車釀大禍 工程車司機檢警偵訊中" (in Chinese (Taiwan)). United Daily News. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  30. ^ Everington, Keoni (2 April 2021). "Home Society 36 lose vital signs after train derails in eastern Taiwan". Taiwan News. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  31. ^ Wang Junqi; Wang Jinyi; Hua Mengjing; Yuta Lang (2 April 2021). 太魯閣號清水隧道出軌 釀50死146輕重傷（不斷更新） [Taroko Qingshui Tunnel derailed, causing 50 deaths and 146 minor and serious injuries (continuous update)]. ltn.com.tw (in Chinese). Taipei, Taiwan. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  32. ^ https://archive.is/20210403142014/https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202104030003
  33. ^ 台鐵出軌》已知學生3死31傷 幼兒園學童不幸罹難. ltn.com.tw (in Traditional Chinese). 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  34. ^ https://archive.is/20210403131712/https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202104030011
  35. ^ a b "Taiwan train crash: 50 killed, 146 hurt in collision with runaway truck". South China Morning Post. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  36. ^ a b c https://archive.is/20210403084111/https://www.arabnews.com/node/1836746/world
  37. ^ Yu Xiaohan. "台鐵太魯閣號出軌 林佳龍、徐國勇趕赴現場" (in Chinese). Central News Agency. Central News Agency. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  38. ^ https://archive.is/20210403071618/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4167591
  39. ^ Xie, Stella Yifan; Wang, Joyu (2 April 2021). "Taiwan Train Derails, Killing at Least 50 People". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  40. ^ Chang Chi; Tyson Lu; Elizabeth Hsu (2 April 2021). "Crane truck driver questioned by police over fatal train accident". Taipei, Taiwan: Focus Taiwan. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  41. ^ Chen, Shanshan (3 April 2021). "快訊／太魯閣號22名確認罹難者名單曝 28人身分待辨識" [News/Taroko's list of 22 confirmed victims reveals that 28 people are waiting to be identified] (in Chinese). Taiwan. Eastern Broadcasting Company. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  42. ^ "Taiwan train crash: Site boss bailed amid grief over 50 deaths". BBC News. 3 April 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  43. ^ "Taiwan seeks arrest warrant for suspect in deadly train crash". Al Jazeera. 3 April 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  44. ^ "Taiwan: Dozens killed as train crashes and derails in tunnel". BBC.com. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  45. ^ "Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen Visits Train Crash Injured". Republicworld.com. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  46. ^ "太魯閣號事故 美英法澳歐盟駐台機構發文哀悼慰問". Taiwan Central News Agency (in Traditional Chinese). 2 April 2021.
  47. ^ "太魯閣號事故 日本前首相安倍與參議員蓮舫送暖". Taiwan Central News Agency (in Traditional Chinese). 2 April 2020.
  48. ^ "快訊／習近平哀悼太魯閣號出軌遇難者 對事故「高度關切」 | ETtoday大陸新聞 | ETtoday新聞雲". www.ettoday.net (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 3 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  49. ^ "国台办、海协会对台铁列车出轨事故伤亡台胞及家属表示哀悼和慰问". Taiwan Affairs Office (in Simplified Chinese). 2 April 2021.
  50. ^ "國臺辦：對臺鐵列車出軌事故表達高度關切". Taiwan Affairs Office (in Traditional Chinese). 2 April 2021.
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