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India 'deeply saddened' by loss of lives in Taiwan train accident
The train driver was among the dead, the fire department told the government's executive office, and at least 69 survivors were being treated in several hospitals in the surrounding Hualien County.
India on Saturday expressed grief and extended condolences to the families of the victims who died in Taiwan train accident.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of so many lives in the railway accident in Taiwan. Our deepest condolences to the families and our prayers for the early recovery of the injured," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.
A passenger train carrying 490 people derailed in a tunnel in eastern Taiwan on Friday, killing at least 50 and injuring dozens more, authorities said.
The train driver was among the dead, the fire department told the government's executive office, and at least 69 survivors were being treated in several hospitals in the surrounding Hualien County.
The accident took place at the start of a long holiday weekend. The train was packed with tourists and residents going home for the traditional Tomb Sweeping Day to clean the graves of ancestors.
Meanwhile, a Taiwan court has released on bond the manager of a construction site whose truck authorities believe to have caused the train accident, but prosecutors vowed to appeal.
Prosecutors had applied to a court to detain the manager on charges of causing death by negligence, a justice ministry official told reporters on Saturday.
Taiwan's worst train crash happened in 1948, when 64 people are estimated to have died when a train caught fire.
(with inputs from agencies)
