A train crash inside a tunnel in Taiwan has killed at least 36 people

KATHMANDU: At least 36 people have been killed in a train accident in Taiwan. 72 people have been injured.

According to the BBC, the accident took place when the train hit the truck inside the tunnel in the city of Hualien in Taiwan. The train crashed into the truck and skidded off the road.

Five of the eight coaches have been damaged in the accident. Authorities say the train was packed with passengers on their way to a long holiday in Taiwan.

Rescuers are working to rescue people trapped inside the tunnel. At present, more than 100 passengers have been rescued and kept in safe places.

According to the BBC, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen has declared an emergency for the treatment and rescue of the injured.

Taiwan's transport ministry has called the crash the worst in four decades. Earlier, 18 people were killed and 175 injured in a train accident in Taiwan in 2018. A similar train crash in 1981 killed at least 30 people, according to the transport ministry.