Taiwan transport minister resigns over train crash

TAIPEI: Taiwan’s government on Thursday said 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 2 April 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 with Premier Su Tseng-chang agreeing to let Lin step down.