TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) – The owner of a construction truck that caused Taiwan’s worst rail accident in decades, killing 48 people, apologized in tears as he was taken from his home by the police on Sunday. The emergency brake on the unmanned truck has not been applied correctly, according to the government’s humanitarian aid center.
An investigation is underway to find out exactly how Lee Yi-Hsiang’s vehicle slid onto the tracks on Friday from a nearby construction site on the mountainous coast of eastern Hualien County. The truck was hit by a passenger train carrying 494 people, which derailed just before entering a tunnel, crushing many passengers inside the mutilated wagons.
The death toll was revised to 48 on Sunday after rescuers initially said 51, then 50 people were killed. The changes came after some body parts belonged to an individual, said a spokesman for the Central Emergency Operations Center. At least 198 people were injured.
“I caused a serious accident on the Taroko train number 480 of the Taiwan Railway Administrations during this year’s tomb sweeping vacation, causing deaths and injuries, to which I express my remorse and my sincere apologies,” said Lee, who is also the construction site. manager, his words drowned out by a face mask and emotion. “I will fully cooperate with the authorities’ investigation and take responsibility.”
Hualien County prosecutors said earlier that they were seeking an arrest warrant for the owner of the truck, who was interrogated along with several others.
The district court in Hualien initially allowed Lee to post bail of 500,000 new Taiwan dollars ($ 17,516), but that decision was reversed on Sunday when a higher court in Hualien rescinded the lower court’s decision to allow bail, the Agency reported. Taiwan News Center.
Train travel is popular during the four days of the Tomb Sweeping holiday in Taiwan, when families often return to their hometowns to pay homage to the tombs of their elders. It is also an opportunity to take a vacation.
Taiwan is a mountainous island and most of its 24 million people live on the plains along the north and west coasts, which are home to most of the island’s agricultural land, major cities and high-tech industries. The sparsely populated east, where the accident occurred, is a popular tourist destination, and the railway is known for its beautiful natural scenery.