(UTVNEWS | COLOMBO) – At least 34 people have died and 72 remain trapped after a train carrying around 350 passengers derailed inside a tunnel in Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Central Emergency Operation centre says rescuers are struggling to access four carriages inside the tunnel that are “badly damaged”.
The train was making its way from the capital Taipei to the city of Taitung.
Dozens of tourists were said to be onboard, many of whom were celebrating the annual Tomb Sweeping festival.
The train is believed to have derailed at around 09:00 local time (01:00 GMT). Local media reports say the accident occurred when a maintenance vehicle fell onto its path.
Pictures online showed people in unaffected carriages walking along train tracks with their belongings.
“It felt like there was a sudden violent jolt and I found myself falling to the floor,” an unidentified female survivor told Taiwan’s UDN.
“We broke the window to climb to the roof of the train to get out.”