Hualien Railway Accident

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Hualien Railway Accident
2021 年 太魯閣 列車 出軌 事故 01.jpg
2021 年 太魯閣 列車 出軌 事故 02.jpg
Looking in the direction of travel: The end of the train came to a stop outside the tunnel.

The railway accident in Hualien County occurred on April 2, 2021 at around 09:28 a.m. local time ( UTC + 8 ) in the area of Xiulin Municipality , about 25 kilometers north of the county capital Hualien , on the eastern edge of Taroko National Park in Taiwan (Republic of China) . The express train 408 ( Taroko Express ) , traveling south from Taipei to Taitung, collided with a construction site vehicle that had slipped from a slope onto the railway line and derailed before entering the Qingshui tunnel between Chongde and Heren stations.

According to initial information, at least 50 people died in the accident.

Course of events

The accident site with labels, looking south, 2009

The train consisted of an eight- unit railcar from the TEMU1000 series . The accident occurred on the eve of the traditional Chinese Qingming festival (day of tomb care) and there were a relatively large number of travelers, around 350, on the train. He drove the electrified main line along the east coast of the island. At the scene of the accident, the route runs along a slope and merges into the two-tube Qingshui tunnel . Construction work took place in front of the western tunnel tube to enclose the track to protect it from falling rocks.

On a path that crosses the western tube, a construction site vehicle was parked above the eastern track, which was still above ground here. This vehicle was insufficiently secured and slid down the embankment into the clearance profile of the track immediately in front of the tunnel mouth of the eastern tube. The express train ran on this track, collided with the construction site vehicle and derailed. The first five of the total of eight cars slid into the tunnel and wedged, while the following cars came to a stop outside the tunnel.

Recovery and consequences

According to initial information, at least 50 people died, including the train driver. 118 travelers were treated in the hospital. The rescue and rescue work turned out to be difficult because parts of the multiple unit were wedged in the tunnel and the rescue workers were initially unable to get to the passengers trapped there.

It was the worst railway accident in Taiwan in terms of casualty since the Xindian railway accident on May 28, 1948, which allegedly killed 64 people.

Web links

Commons : Hualien Railway Accident  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c 太魯閣 號 事故 ("The Taroko Incident"). CNA (中央社, Central News Agency), April 2, 2021, accessed April 2, 2021 (Chinese (traditional)).
  2. ↑ 台 鐵 北 迴 線 為什麼 有 貨車 滑落. April 2, 2021, accessed April 4, 2021 .
  3. ↑ Chang Chi, Tyson Lu, Elizabeth Hsu: Crane truck driver questioned by police over fatal train accident. Focus Taiwan, April 2, 2021, accessed April 2, 2021 .
  4. ↑ Multiple passengers reported with 'no vital signs' in train derailment. Focus Taiwan, April 2, 2021, accessed April 2, 2021 .
  5. ↑ Train derails in Hualien County in Taiwan, 68 passengers injured and 34 lost vital signs. Dimsum Daily Hong Kong, April 2, 2021, accessed April 2, 2021 .
  6. ^ A look back at Taiwan's worst train accidents. The Straits Times, April 2, 2021, accessed April 3, 2021 .
  7. ↑ Taiwan train crash: Site boss bailed amid grief over 50 deaths. BBC News, April 3, 2021, accessed April 3, 2021 .

Coordinates: 24 ° 12 ′ 50.8 ″  N , 121 ° 41 ′ 4 ″  E