Explosion on Taiwan train injures 21 people

Taiwan’s official news agency says an explosion that engulfed a commuter train car in flames has injured 21 people, some of them seriously.

Taiwan’s official news agency says an explosion that engulfed a commuter train car in flames has injured 21 people, some of them seriously.

Injured people are helped by emergency rescue workers after an explosion on a passenger train in Taipei, Taiwan. (AP Photo)

Taiwan’s Central News Agency cited police as saying they suspected the Thursday night blast in the capital of Taipei had been caused by some kind of explosive in the train carriage.

The news agency cited the director of Taiwan’s National Police Agency, Chen Kuo-en, as saying late Thursday that the explosive appeared to be 15 to 20 centimeters (6-8 inches) long and looked like a firecracker.

The report says the self-ruled island’s premier, Lin Chuan, ordered government agencies to form a team to investigate the blast.

The report cites unidentified witnesses as saying they heard a loud explosion before the train carriage burst into flames.