【原文】下文摘錄自香港《文匯報》4月3日︰

台鐵408車次太魯閣號（Taroko Express）2日在花蓮縣（Hualien county）行駛期間發生嚴重出軌（derailment）事故，造成大量人命傷亡。有生還者表示，列車附近到處都是屍體，台當局正急徵屍袋。台鐵局（Taiwan Railways Administration）事後通報稱，事故原因疑是停在工地斜坡上的工程車未拉手剎（handbrake），突然滑落，撞上列車所致。袁姓列車司機和助理司機不幸身亡，前者遺下新婚妻子，列車長亦受傷。此次是當地半世紀來最嚴重的鐵路事故，台鐵稱不排除向施工廠商求償（compensation）。

台鐵太魯閣號列車乘客，包含站票者及工作人員約近500人，於當日早上7時11分從新北（New Taipei City）樹林（Shulin）火車站出發，原定於早上9時39分抵達花蓮火車站。

據台鐵局通報，太魯閣號在9點28分於崇德（Chongde）和仁（Heren）間東線發生出軌事故。從曝光的現場視像看，現場一片狼藉，位在隧道內的列車車頭一半被削毀，有現場民眾稱「像豆腐一樣被切開」。也有從第四節車窗爬出來的民眾錄下視頻，稱一輛工程車撞上了太魯閣號，導致列車出軌。花蓮縣消防局（Hualien County Fire Department）通報稱，該列車發生事故後，已疏散（evacuate）約100人，多節車廂擦撞隧道壁，第五至第八車廂變形（deform），乘客無法逃出，救援人員亦無法進入。

一名列車乘客向台媒表示，事發時感覺突然發生激烈撞擊（jolt），由於自己坐在過道旁，被甩到地上。乘客表示列車被卡在隧道內，乘客們為了脫困，先爬到車頂，出來後再爬下來。從涉事民眾拍攝到的畫面顯示，車廂內停電（power outage）漆黑一片，有乘客在黑暗中等待離開車廂。有工作人員在現場說「（車廂）前方有一個小縫可以離開，只能一個個（人）慢慢下車。」亦有輕傷者在送入醫院後心有餘悸地表示：「撞擊時好恐怖！椅子與人相疊，被壓在底下很多人都沒有了呼吸，當時車內還有好多小孩子，好可憐。」

一名吳姓婦人表示：「火車撞擊當時，我在第八節車廂，當時在睡覺，巨大衝撞後驚醒，看到車內一片黑暗，而且車內到處是煙霧。車內有很多要到花蓮和台東（Taitung）度假的小朋友，車廂到處是屍體，非常恐怖！」

清明（Qingming）連假首日台鐵太魯閣號出軌事故，造成台東火車站湧入大批民眾焦急等待，或問詢通車接駁情況。一位站在服務台旁的阿伯失魂落魄稱，至今未聯絡到兒子，大歎完了。

因撥打兒子手機未有接聽，他也不知具體問台鐵什麼問題才好，該不願具名阿伯心急地在服務台旁靜候消息。「一聽到消息直接哭出來。」一對老夫妻哽咽地說，女兒及孫子搭乘該班列車回來，本是興高采烈迎接他們，未料竟然出事，好在已聯絡上女兒，現在只希望一起平安返家。

Taiwan train derailment causing 50 deaths and 146 injuries in collision with truck

【譯文】A serious train derailment accident occurred in Taiwan on 2 April, with a Taroko Express train 408 derailing in Hualien county, causing a large number of casualties. Survivors said that dead bodies were found everywhere and the Taiwan authorities were rushing to collect body bags for the victims. According to the Taiwan Railways Administration （TRA）, it was suspected that a construction truck originally parked on the slope of the construction site suddenly slipped downhill without pulling the handbrake and thus collided with the train. Among the dead were the train's driver surnamed Yuan and assistant driver, while the former was just newly married, and the train conductor was also injured. This was the most fatal train crash in Taiwan in half a century, and TRA would not preclude seeking compensation from the construction company.

The Taroko Express train carrying about 500 passengers inclusive of crew members departed from Shulin Station in New Taipei City at 7:11 am on that day, and was originally scheduled to arrive at Hualien Station at 9:39 am on the same day.

According to TRA, the train derailed at 9:28 am at the tracks between Chongde and Heren of Taiwan's eastern railway line. The exposed live video showed that the scenes of devastation were in a mess, with the first carriage stuck inside the tunnel torn apart, resembling a tofu block being cut up as described by survivors. There were also people who climbed out of the forth carriage and took videos, saying that a construction truck slipped down and hit the train, resulting in the deadly derailment. The Hualien County Fire Department said that about 100 people were evacuated immediately after the train crash. Several carriages collided with the tunnel walls, and the fifth to eighth carriages were deformed, such that dozens of passengers were trapped for hours and rescuers found it difficult to access the deformed train.

A passenger told the local news media that he felt a sudden violent jolt at the time of the crash and was thrown to the ground as he was sitting by the aisle. As the train was stuck inside the tunnel, many passengers would need to climb to the roof of the train to get out of the trap. The photos taken by the passengers showed that power outage occurred in the carriages and survivors were forced to wait in the dark train to be rescued. An on-site crew member said that there was a small crack in one of the deformed carriages and people could only get off slowly one by one. A survivor with light injuries told when being hospitalized that it was terrifying that many people were stuck under the chairs and there were piles of bodies with no vital signs. It was also pitiful that many children were in the train.

A woman surnamed Wu told the media that she was sleeping in the eighth carriage at that time. She woke up shortly after the huge collision and saw that the carriage was dark with smoke everywhere. There were many children going on vacation in Hualien and Taitung. It was scary that dead bodies were found everywhere in the carriages.

The disaster occurred on the first day of the long Qingming holiday period, resulting in a large influx of people arriving at Taitung Station to wait anxiously or inquire about the re-opening of the train services. An old man standing next to a help desk felt deeply distressed and desperate as he had not been able to contact his son so far.

The old man, asked not to be named, called his son whom could not be reached, so there was nothing he could do but wait for the news nervously at the help desk. Another old couple cried out loud upon hearing the sad news as they originally expected to greet their daughter and grandchildren travelling back through this train. Fortunately, they got in touch with their daughter and just wished to return home safely together.●龐嘉儀

Q&A

1. 台鐵於何時開始營運？

2. 台鐵主要由哪三條幹線所組成？

3. 台鐵軌道總長度約為多少公里？

4. 台鐵上一起嚴重事故為何？

Answer

1. 1891年

2. 西部幹線、東部幹線、南迴線

3. 逾2,400公里

4. 2018年普悠瑪列車脫軌事故（2018 Yilan train derailment）