Chinese tourists killed in Taiwan train crash

A train overturned in a mountainous region in southern Taiwan today, killing at least six Chinese tourists, the island’s president said.

The Government Information Office said the accident injured 61 other people, 23 seriously. There was no information on their nationalities.

President Ma Ying-jeou said the accident happened after a large tree collapsed into the path of the oncoming train.

“I feel very grieved by the accident,” he said, adding that a thorough investigation would be carried out.

TV footage from the scene showed at least three red and black coloured carriages overturned along a hilly gradient, and rescue workers tending to victims.

Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said it sent four helicopters to the scene, and rescue services sent three others.

The Alishan rail line, running east from the southern city of Chiayi, corkscrews through a series of steep mountains and has long been one of Taiwan’s premier tourist attractions. Most of the line has been closed since a devastating typhoon struck Taiwan in August 2009, but a small portion near the top has since been reopened. It is there the accident occurred.