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Taiwan steps up investigation into train crash

Police and investigators are still collecting evidence from the site

TAIWAN-TRAIN/ Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen visits a victim of the deadly train derailment at a hospital in Hualien | Reuters

Taiwan has stepped up its investigation into the deadly train crash on Friday, that killed at least 50 people. The train carrying more than 490 people derailed after a truck on a road overhead fell on to the tracks. Several people have been rescued from the train's carriages, but rescuers say the severely damaged carriages might still have remains of the victims that couldn't be rescued. According to the government's disaster relief centre, the truck's handbrake wasn't properly engaged. 

Police and investigators are still collecting evidence from the site. 

Yu Hsiu-duan, the chief prosecutor in eastern Hualien County where the accident occurred, said they were seeking an arrest warrant for the truck's owner. 

President Tsai Ing-wen visited hospitals near the crash site. The crash occurred on day one of the Sweeping Tomb festival, where families return to home towns to pay respects at the graves of their ancestors. 

As repair work takes place on the track from where the train derailed, trains will run on a parallel track, with a delay of 15-20 minutes. 

As a mark of respect for the victims of the crash, flags in Taiwan will fly at half-mast for three days, starting Saturday. 

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