A maintenance worker whose runaway truck caused Taiwan’s worst rail disaster in decades has apologized tearfully on Sunday, while investigators said the driver had little time to react to the collision.
At least 50 people died and more than 200 were injured in Friday’s accident, which launched a crowded train of eight wagons on the sides of a narrow tunnel near the eastern coastal city of Hualien.
Investigators say the Taroko Express hit a truck on the line just before entering the tunnel. The vehicle slid down a steep embankment and prosecutors are working to determine whether the driver was unable to brake the parking brake or whether there was a mechanical failure.
On Sunday, driver Lee Yi-hsiang read an emotional statement.
“I am deeply sorry and I want to express my sincerest apologies,” he said, his voice choked with emotion. “I will cooperate with the police and prosecutors’ investigation to assume the responsibility that I must assume.”
Lee, 49, was part of a team that regularly inspected Taiwan’s mountainous eastern railway line for landslides and other hazards. He was questioned over the weekend by prosecutors and released on bail by a court pending further investigations.
Hong Young, chairman of the Taiwan Transport Security Council, told AFP that investigators were combing the train’s recording devices, as well as CCTV footage of the front car.
“According to testimonies from some passengers, they heard the horn and the driver is believed to have spotted an obstruction object on the track,” he said.
But the driver – who was among the dead – would have worked hard to prevent a collision.
“It is believed that the driver had only 10 seconds at most to react and there was not enough distance for the emergency brake,” he added.
Some survivors reported that the train did not appear to slow down before reaching the truck. But Hong said others noticed a violent vibration before the collision, suggesting that the driver may have applied the emergency brake just before the impact.
As questions grew about how crowded the train was and why there were no fences on that section of the tracks, Transport Minister Lin Chia-lung presented his resignation on Sunday. But he was not accepted by the government, which said he should remain in office until the results of the investigation are known.
The accident left Taiwan in mourning. Some survivors lost entire families and the youngest victim was just four years old. A French citizen and two Americans were also killed.