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Taiwan train crash: transport minister resigns over April 2 tragedy
- 49 people were killed when a high-speed train hit a maintenance truck that had slid onto the track
- Taipei says Transport Minister Lin Chia-lung will step down on Tuesday
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Taiwan’s government said on Thursday it had accepted the resignation of its transport minister following a train crash earlier this month that killed 49 people, the island’s deadliest in decades.
The April 2 crash was caused by a railway maintenance truck that slid down an embankment and onto the track moments before a high-speed train passed by.
The accident, which left more than 200 injured, plunged Taiwan into mourning.
Transport Minister Lin Chia-lung offered his resignation the day after the crash but the government did not accept it, saying he was needed to concentrate on the rescue effort and subsequent investigation.
However, that changed on Thursday when Premier Su Tseng-chang agreed to let Lin step down.
“The premier approved his resignation yesterday which will take effect on April 20,” cabinet spokesman Lo Ping-cheng said.
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