Court of Taiwan released on bail the manager of a construction site whose truck is believed to have caused the train crash that killed at least 51 people, but prosecutors said they would appeal the verdict as relatives mourn the dead. at the scene of the accident.
Yesterday’s accident is the worst rail tragedy in Taiwan in 70 years. An express train collided with a truck that slipped from the construction site on a slope, reaching the side of the rails. The driver suspects that he did not pull the truck’s parking brake correctly.
The train, carrying nearly 500 passengers, was en route from Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, to Taitung on the east coast of the island when it derailed in a tunnel just north of Hualien.
Forty people are being treated in hospitals, out of a total of 178 injured in the accident.
Prosecutors had filed a motion in court to detain the site manager on charges of negligent homicide, a Justice Department official told reporters today.
However, a court in Hualien released director Li Ji-xiang on bail of Taiwan $ 500,000 (US $ 17,525), even barring him from traveling outside Taiwan for eight months, forcing him to stay in Hualien.
The court ruled that while the fact that the truck was found in the course of the train may be due to negligence, there is “no possibility of conspiracy”.
The head of Hualien prosecutor Yu Xiu-doan’s office said she would appeal the decision.
“The court ruled that there was no reason for him to remain in custody,” she told reporters.
Relatives of the victims visited the site of the tragedy on Saturday afternoon, local time, to mourn their own. Some cried and shouted “Come back!”, While others placed personal belongings of the victims, such as dolls.
The youngest victim of the tragedy is a six-year-old girl, the eldest a 79-year-old man, according to the list of dead released by the authorities.
President Chai Ying-wen visited hospitals in Hualien to speak to relatives and survivors, and thanked ordinary citizens and non-governmental organizations for their help.
“This shows the good side of Taiwanese society,” he said.
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