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Women killed by train after fainting on platform at Taipei station

Woman struck and killed by a train after fainting on platform at Taipei station

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(Image from Taiwan Railways Administration)

(Image from Taiwan Railways Administration)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- A 38-year old woman was struck and killed by a train at Taipei station yesterday (Feb. 21) at 7 a.m. after apparently fainting and falling on the platform, exposing her upper body to the oncoming train, reported Apple Daily.

The woman, surnamed Chang (張), is believed to have fainted and when she fell, she landed with her head and shoulders protruding over the platform just 5 seconds before the Tze-Chiang Limited Express No. 272 bound for Hualien was due to arrive. Two female passengers standing next to her tried to drag her out of the way, and seeing the woman on the platform, the engineer slammed on the breaks, but it was too late, and she was struck by the locomotive.

Paramedics ran to the scene and found that she had suffered a severe head injury, was not showing any vital signs and was rushed to National Taiwan University Hospital, where she was officially declared dead. After retrieving her personal ID card, police notified her family members in Changhua of her death.

Railway police immediately began an investigation on the scene and brought witnesses back to learn more details of the incident. The No. 272 train was delayed for about half an hour before resuming operations.

A user of the popular Taiwanese online bulletin board PTT reported hearing a female passenger scream followed by a big commotion and multiple paramedics and police rushing to the scene, and upon asking bystanders was informed that a person had been hit by a train.

Taiwan Railways Association (TRA) officials said that from surveillance camera footage a female passenger at 7:28 a.m. suddenly fell onto the A side of Platform 4 where passengers line up for Carriage No. 10. The upper part of her body protruded from the edge of the platform and the Tze-Chiang Limited Express No. 272 can be seen striking her body.

According to TRA, although the engineer had immediately hit the emergency brakes, the train continued to move for 20 meters and still fatally struck the woman in the head. After the woman was struck, paramedics rushed her to the hospital and police completed an investigation at the scene, the No. 272 resumed service at 7:57 a.m.

Several hours later, at 3:32 p.m. an Indonesian man suspected of being intoxicated was struck by a locomotive at the Zhongli Railway Station in Taoyuan, sustaining minor injuries and affecting nearly a thousand passengers in the process.