A Chinese mainland Taiwan affairs spokesman on Friday expressed condolences for the casualties caused by a train accident in Taiwan on Friday morning.
The mainland is highly concerned about the progress of the follow-up rescue, said Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.
A train derailed inside a tunnel in east Taiwan on Friday morning, resulting in at least 48 deaths, according to local authorities.
By midday, 61 people had been sent to hospital, with 72 remaining trapped at the scene, reported the Taiwan railway police department.
The second and third carriages of the train traveling to Taitung derailed in the accident, according to rescuers.
The third to eighth carriages that remained in the tunnel were partially deformed, causing great difficulties for ongoing rescue efforts.
The railroad department suspects that an incorrectly parked construction vehicle fell down from above the tunnel and hit the passing train, causing the accident.
The accident occurred at the start of the four-day Tomb Sweeping Day holiday.
