Several dead in Taiwan train accident

A train derailment in northeastern Taiwan on Sunday killed at least 18 people and injured more than 170, government authorities said.

The accident took place in Yilan County on a coastal route popular among tourists.

The derailment caused five out of eight carriages to overturn.

Taiwan's central government said rescue services were at the scene. The cause of the accident is being investigated. 

The country's Central News Agency reported more than 30 people were still trapped in the train early on Sunday evening, local time.

The Puyuma express train was carrying more than 300 passengers toward Taitung, a city on Taiwan's southeast coast, when the accident took place.

The railway administration, citing the fire department, said all 17 people died of cardiac arrest. 

President Tsai Ing-wen described the accident as a "major tragedy."

ap/sms (AFP, Reuters, dpa, AP)

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