Video shows what's left of a Taiwan train after a crash leave dozens dead

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  • A train derailment near Hualien, Taiwan, killed at least 48 people on Friday.
  • An unmanned truck slid down a hill and hit the passenger train as it exited a tunnel.
  • Taiwan's National Fire Service says hundreds more were injured in the incident.
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Nearly 50 people are dead and hundreds injured after a train derailed and slid down a hillside in Taiwan on Friday.

The passenger train was going from Taipei to the city of Taitung, a trip that takes about seven hours by train. Almost 500 people were onboard, some of them standing because the train's eight cars were tightly packed. Many were heading home for the Tomb-Sweeping Festival, a traditional holiday where families tend to the graves of ancestors.

Video shows what's left of a Taiwan train after a crash leave dozens dead
Reuters

The train had only partially emerged from a tunnel when it struck an unmanned yellow construction truck in the eastern city of Hualien.

Authorities believe the truck's emergency brakes were not on, and so it slid down from the hillside onto the tracks. Video from the tunnel shows the train completely smashed, with cars wedged against the walls. Rescue teams rushed to help the injured, while many more struggled to get to safety.

Video shows what's left of a Taiwan train after a crash leave dozens dead
Reuters

The 408 Taroko train is one of Taiwan's newer models. It's named after the Taroko Gorge, which is close to where the train crashed. It can go up to 80 miles per hour, but there's no word on how fast it was going at the time.

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An investigation is underway to determine exactly what went wrong.

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