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| A train derailment accident occurred on the 2nd in Taiwan. © Reuters = News1 © News1 Reporter Yoon Da-hye |
On the first day of the Qingming Day holiday, the driver of a truck that fell on the track was deeply reflecting on the train derailment accident that killed 50 people, and said, “I will take responsibility for it.”
The truck driver, a 49-year-old male, was one of the employees who regularly inspected train routes in eastern Taiwan to prepare for landslides and other dangers.
According to the AFP news agency on the 4th, the driver stood in front of the Taiwanese media on this day, crying in tears, saying, “I am deeply reflecting and I want to make the most sincere apology.
He added, “I will take responsibility for my responsibility by cooperating with the police and the investigation of the prosecution.”
He was investigated by the prosecution the day before and was released on bail until further investigation, but was detained again under the prosecution’s judgment that there was fear of escape. He is accused of negligence.
Earlier, on the morning of the 2nd, the first day of the Qingming Day holiday, a train carrying 400 passengers left the track and several cars hit the tunnel wall, causing 50 deaths.
Among the fatalities were the driver of the accident train. In addition, the assistant engineer and the train commander are known to have been injured, and are suffering.
Taiwanese investigative authorities said it was possible that the maintenance vehicle was not parked properly and slipped over the railroad tracks, causing an accident.
However, it is not yet known whether the man in custody did not properly fix the brakes when parking the truck or whether it was a mechanical defect.
Hong Young, chairman of the Taiwan Transportation Safety Commission, told AFP, “Investigators are scouring the CCTV footage of the car ahead with the recording device of the train.”
Meanwhile, among the fatalities of the accident, one French citizen and two Americans were included, and foreign media and Taiwanese media said the accident was “the worst railroad accident in Taiwan in 40 years.”
Earlier in Taiwan, a train derailed in the northeast region in 2018, killing 18 people and injuring 175 people, and in 1981, 30 people died in a train crash in the north.