Rescue workers work at the site of a train derailment in Yilan county northeastern Taiwan Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Passengers were killed and injured on Sunday when one of Taiwan's newer, faster trains derailed on a curve along a popular weekend route, officials said.(Kyodo News via AP)
The Associated Press
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Investigators say excessive speed was the main cause of the derailment of a train in Taiwan that killed 18 people and injured scores.
The official Central News Agency says a Cabinet task force found the train entered a curve at 140 kph (87 mph), almost twice the speed limit for the section.
CNA said the train's driver has been placed under investigation for negligence, including disabling the automatic train protection system that would have caused it to brake.
The 6-year-old trains were built to travel at 150 kph (93 mph) to ease transportation on rugged parts of the mountainous island's east coast. They are designed to tilt when going around curves.
The train had been carrying more than 360 passengers with about 180 listed as injured Tuesday.
In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, center, briefs journalists at the site of a train derailment in Yilan county in northeastern Taiwan on Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Passengers were killed and injured on Sunday when one of Taiwan's newer, faster trains derailed on a curve along a popular weekend route, officials said. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP)
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In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, center, visits victims from a train derailment at a hospital in Yilan county in northeastern Taiwan on Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Passengers were killed and injured on Sunday when one of Taiwan's newer, faster trains derailed on a curve along a popular weekend route, officials said. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP)
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In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, center, consoles family members of victims from a train derailment at a hospital in Yilan county in northeastern Taiwan on Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Passengers were killed and injured on Sunday when one of Taiwan's newer, faster trains derailed on a curve along a popular weekend route, officials said. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP)
The Associated Press