KYODO NEWS


 

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga offered his condolences following a deadly train accident on Friday in Taiwan that resulted in dozens of casualties.

"I am extremely heartbroken," Suga wrote on Twitter, which also appeared in Chinese. "I express my heartfelt sympathies to those who have died and offer my sincere condolences for the people who suffered in the accident."

"If there is a request from the Taiwan side regarding support, we want to consider possible assistance," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, Japan's top government spokesman, told a press conference.

The express train that derailed in a tunnel in eastern Taiwan was manufactured by Hitachi Ltd. and started operations in May 2007 as Taiwan's first tilting rail car, the major Japanese conglomerate said.

Under its push for infrastructure exports, Hitachi has delivered 260 rail cars, including those for express and bullet services, to Taiwan since 1960, including 64 tilting cars since 2006.

Fire authorities in Taiwan said the accident that occurred in Hualien County left over 50 people dead and more than 100 others injured.