Rescuers search site after train crash killed 18 in Taiwan

DONGSHAN TOWNSHIP, Taiwan (AP) — Rescuers are searching the wreckage after one of Taiwan's fastest passenger trains derailed on a curve along a popular weekend route, killing at least 18 people and injuring more than 180 others.

The Puyuma express ran off the tracks as it went around a bend in the island's northeast Sunday. It had more than 360 passengers.

There was no immediate word on the cause. Survivors told the official Central News Agency the train driver had applied emergency brakes multiple times before the train derailed.

Most of the deaths were in the first car, and it was unclear whether other people were trapped in the train, according to a government spokesman, who spoke on the customary condition of anonymity.

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Associated Press Writer Yanan Wang in Beijing contributed to this report.

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