A train ran into rocks on the tracks after a landslide near Heren (和仁) in Hualien County at about 5pm yesterday afternoon, resulting in nine injuries, internal Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) reports said.
The driver of train No. 229, an EMU3000 Tze-Chiang Limited Express, had a fractured hand, while eight passengers were also injured, but not seriously, TRC said.
The train was stuck inside the Cingshuei Tunnel (清水隧道), with the door of the first car misaligned and the second car derailed.
Photo courtesy of a reader via CNA
TRC said that at 4:50pm, the train encountered a landslide inside Cingshuei Tunnel, between Chongde (崇德) and Heren on the west main line.
It estimates that about 500 passengers on board were helped off the train and transported to Hualien Station after personnel were dispatched to the site within 20 minutes of the incident.
The collision was very loud, louder than a typical car crash, said a passenger surnamed Chen (陳), who was in the fifth car.
Some passengers were injured, but fortunately a doctor was on board and provided assistance, Chen added.
After the collision, the train made an emergency stop inside the tunnel, a passenger in the third car said.
During the evacuation, the passenger said they saw medical personnel moving toward the first and second cars, as well as debris from the train scattered on the ground.
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