HUALIEN, Taiwan - Taiwan's transport minister said on Sunday
he would not shirk his responsibility for a deadly train crash even as his
resignation offer was rejected amid growing questions over safety lapses that
could have contributed to the disaster.
اضافة اعلان
In the island's worst rail accident in seven decades, 51
people have been confirmed dead after a packed express train slammed into a
truck near the eastern city of Hualien on Friday, causing it to derail and the
front part to crumple.
Speaking at the crash site overlooking the ocean and backed
by precipitous mountains, Lin Chia-lung said he would "not avoid"
responsibility.
"I am also in charge of minimizing the damage caused by
the entire accident. After the whole rescue work is completed, I believe I will
take the responsibility," he said.
Premier Su Tseng-chang's office said Lin had made a verbal
offer to resign on Saturday, but Su rejected it for the time being, saying
efforts for now should focus on rescue and recovery.
The truck that the train hit had slid down a sloping road
onto the track just outside a tunnel. Officials are investigating the manager
of the construction site, Lee Yi-hsiang, whose truck is suspected of not having
its brakes properly applied.
Lee had been released on bail, though the high court's
Hualien branch on Sunday rescinded that decision after the prosecutors appealed
it, sending the case back to the lower court.
Lee read out a statement apologizing for what happened as
police took him away from his residence on Sunday, Taiwan media reported.
"I deeply regret this and express my deepest
apologies," he said. "I will definitely cooperate with the
prosecutors and police in the investigation, accept the responsibility that should
be borne, and never shirk it. Finally, I once again express my sincerest
apologies."
The transport ministry, and the rail administration which
comes under it, are facing scrutiny over a number of questions, including why
there was no proper fencing at the site and whether too many standing-only
tickets were sold.
Deputy transport minister Wang Kwo-tsai said late on
Saturday the railway administration needed to take hard look at all these
issues, adding that his personal feeling was that "initially it looks like
negligence" on the part of the building site contractor.
The railway administration is also without a permanent
director after its former chief retired in January. The position is being
filled in an acting capacity by another deputy transport minister, Chi
Wen-chung.
Wang said Lin was working hard to find the right person to
fill the job.
'Daughter’s voice
became quieter and quieter'
The uncle of the youngest confirmed victim, a five-year-old
girl, tearfully told reporters he was still waiting for an apology for the
accident.
"I'm so angry," he said.
The government has promised compensation and that it will do
everything it can to help survivors and their relatives.
The damaged section of the track will not reopen until April
20 at the earliest, Wang said, though rail traffic continues on a parallel
track that runs through another tunnel and was not affected by the accident.
Minister Lin said rescue and recovery work would continue.
"We continue to pull out the cabins stuck inside. The
third cabin was dragged out last night. We expect to pull out two other cabins
today," he added.
The accident occurred at the start of a long weekend for the
traditional Tomb Sweeping Day, when people return home to tend to family
graves.
Survivors have described horrible scenes inside the wreck.
Priest Sung Chih-chiang told Reuters what surviving
passenger Chung Hui-mei had told him.
"She could not find her daughter. When she yelled, she
found her daughter was under the steel panels. She put her effort to move those
pieces one by one, but her daughter's voice became quieter and quieter, and
then there was no response," he said.
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