Taiwan train crash leaves 48 dead   

At least 48 people were killed and Over 70 injured when a Taiwan train derailed in a tunnel after reportedly hitting a truck. According to media reports, this is island’s worst rail disaster in at least four decades.

As per the local media reports, the train, an express travelling from Taipei to Taitung carrying many tourists at the start of a long weekend, came off the rails north of Hualien in eastern Taiwan. The train was full, carrying around 350 people, the local fire department said.

Reports said a truck fell from a cliff above and landed on the tracks, where a train emerging from a tunnel smashed into it. With much of the train still trapped in the tunnel, escaping

passengers were forced to scale doors, windows and roofs to reach safety.

Taiwan's last major rail crash was in October 2018 when an express train derailed while rounding a tight corner on the northeast coast, killing at least 18 people and injuring nearly 200.

In 1991, a collision in western Taiwan killed 30 people and injured 112 in its deadliest train accident.