TAIWAN: A maintenance worker whose runaway truck sparked Taiwan's worst rail disaster in recent decades made a tearful apology on Sunday as investigators said the train driver had little time to react to the collision.
At least 50 people were killed and more than 200 were injured in Friday's crash, which sent a packed eight-car train hurtling into the sides of a narrow tunnel near the eastern coastal city of Hualien.
Investigators say the Taroko Express hit a truck on the line moments before it entered the tunnel.
The vehicle slipped down a steep embankment and prosecutors are working to determine whether the driver either failed to secure the parking brake or if it suffered a mechanical failure.
On Sunday, the driver Lee Yi-hsiang read out an emotional statement to a bank of media cameras.
“I am deeply remorseful and want to express my most sincere apologies,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion.
“I will cooperate with the investigation by police and prosecutors to take the responsibility I should take,” he added.
Lee, 49, was part of a team who regularly inspected Taiwan's mountainous eastern train line for landslides and other risks.
Friday's crash took place at the start of the Tomb Sweeping Festival, a four-day public holiday when many Taiwanese return to villages to tidy the graves of their ancestors. - AFP
