A PRELIMINARY investigation showed that speeding was the cause of Taiwan’s worst train disaster in decades, which claimed 18 lives and left nearly 200 people injured Sunday.

An official in charge of the investigation said Monday evening that the express train was going too fast when it entered a section of curved track, before it ran off the tracks in Xinma Station, Yilan County. The radius of curved part of the rail is about 300 meters with a designated turning speed of 75 km per hour, but the train was running at over 80 kph, and perhaps even over 100 kph when the accident happened.

The cause of the speeding, however, is still under further investigation, the official said.

The local procuratorial authority in Yilan has filed a case in the local court for detaining the driver, identified by the surname You, on suspicion of causing deaths by negligence.

The Puyuma Express No. 6432 bound for Taitung from Shulin Station with 366 passengers on board derailed at 4:50 p.m. Sunday afternoon in Yilan, leaving 18 people dead and 190 people injured. It was considered Taiwan’s worst train crash in more than three decades.

According to local media reports, the driver and the conductor reported brake faults and problems with the power system before the accident happened.

Mainland authorities Monday mourned victims who died in the accident and sent condolences to their families and the injured.

Two female passengers from the mainland were found injured in the derailment. One of them, aged 44 and surnamed Yao, was still in critical condition.

The island’s railway authority is carrying out full safety checks on its Puyuma express trains and related infrastructure.

By Monday morning the wreckage had been cleared and train services on the line were partially resumed. (Xinhua)