At least 18 dead in Taiwan train derailment

At least 18 people have died after an express train derailed and flipped over on a popular coastal tourist route in Taiwan on Sunday, the island's worst rail accident for more than 25 years.

Images from the site showed the Puyuma Express train completely derailed and lying zig-zagged across the track in northeastern Yilan county.

All of the train's eight carriages had derailed and five had flipped onto their side near Xinma station, the Railways Administration said, adding that 366 people were on board the service en route to the southern city of Taitung.

The emergency response centre said 168 people were injured in the accident, which happened at 4:50 pm local time (0850 GMT).

"There are four carriages that were overturned at 90 degrees and the worst casualties were in those carriages," Jason Lu, head of the Taiwan Railways Administration told reporters.

"The exact cause of the accident is pending investigation," he added.

The crash was the worst rail accident in Taiwan since 1991 when 30 passengers were killed and 112 injured after two trains collided in Miaoli.

Thirty were also killed in 1981 after a truck collided with a passenger train at a level crossing and sent coaches over a bridge in Hsinchu.

The worst crash in recent years was in 2003 when 17 died and 156 were injured after a train on the Alishan mountain railway plunged into a chasm at the side of the track.