(UTV|COLOMBO) – The driver of a train that derailed in Taiwan killing 18 people and injuring 187, was granted bail on Tuesday after being detained in connection with the island’s worst rail disaster in decades.
The driver, You Zhen-zhong, 48, was granted bail of T$500,000 ($16,167) after he was detained for investigation, the Taiwan Railways Administration said. You had been treated in hospital following the accident on Sunday in Yilan county, in the island’s mountainous northeast. An initial inquiry found that speeding might have been the cause of the accident, the official Central News Agency said.
The train came off the rails on a curve while moving at close to 87 miles per hour (140 kmh), above the speed limit of 46 mph (74 kmh), the news agency reported, citing the head of the investigation team, Wu Ze-cheng. More investigation was needed to determine the cause, he said.
The train data recorder, which tracks speed, among other things, had been sent to prosecutors to be examined.
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