The owner of the truck that caused the worst rail accident in recent history Taiwan He apologized in tears Sunday when he was taken from his home by the police.

The truck was unmanned and its emergency brake was not applied, according to the local disaster management agency. 48 people died due to that.

Authorities are still investigating how Lee Yi-Hsiang’s truck was mounted on the rails Friday from the construction site where they were in the Hualien region of eastern Taiwan. The truck was hit by a train carrying 494 people that derailed just before a tunnel, crushing many of its occupants in the middle of the metal.

The death toll was corrected to 48 on Sunday, after the initial figures of 51 and 50. The correction was published when it was determined that certain humans belonged to the same person, said the spokesman for the Emergency Operations Center. 198 people were injured.

“I caused a serious accident on the Taroko train, number 480, of the Taiwan Railway Agency, on the Tomb Cleaning Holiday, causing deaths and injuries, for which I express my greatest regret and apologies,” said Lee, who is the manager. of the construction project.

“I will fully cooperate with the authorities’ investigation, and I assume full responsibility,” he added.

The prosecution had announced shortly before that it was seeking an arrest warrant for the owner of the truck, who was questioned along with other people.

The Hualien District Court initially allowed Lee to post 500,000 Taiwan dollars (US $ 17,516) as bail, but the decision was overturned by a higher court on Sunday, the Taiwan news agency reported.

Train travel is common on the Tomb Cleaning Holiday, when families often return to their home villages to visit the graves of their ancestors. At the same time, it is usually a vacation period throughout the country.

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