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At Least 48 Dead After Train Crashes In Eastern Taiwan

NOEL KING, HOST:

At least 48 people have been killed in Taiwan and dozens of others injured by a train derailment inside of a tunnel. Hundreds of people were on board that train traveling for a long holiday weekend. This is Taiwan's worst train crash in decades. And here's NPR's Emily Feng.

EMILY FENG, BYLINE: Footage released from Taiwan's national fire agency shows part of the derailed train inside a long tunnel along Taiwan's mountainous east coast. Authorities say the train first hit a truck parked near this tunnel in Hualien County. Then the train derailed.

(SOUNDBITE OF KNOCKING)

FENG: News broadcasts in Taiwan show the remnants of train carriages inside the tunnel. You can hear people pounding at the carriages trying to rescue those inside.

Taiwan's president, Tsai Ing-wen, said all emergency services had been mobilized. Shortly after the derailment, they went into the tunnel to help rescue those trapped. President Tsai called the derailment a heartbreaking incident.

The train is an express train that was traveling from Taiwan's northern capital to the east coast, which is a popular vacation spot. The crash happened just as Taiwan kicked off a long holiday weekend. This week is not just Easter, but also the Tomb-Sweeping holiday, when people remember their ancestors and deceased family.

Emily Feng, NPR News, Fujian, China. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Emily Feng is NPR's Beijing correspondent.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.