A train accident in Taiwan on Friday killed 50 people, the worst rail disaster in seven decades.

The government said there were 496 people on board, 120 without seats.

Most of the passengers were tourists and people heading home for the traditional Tomb Sweeping Day holiday.

The train was travelling from Taipei, the capital, to Taitung. Some carriages ripped apart and others crumpled.

The train derailed in a tunnel in northeastern city of Hualien after hitting a truck that had slid down onto the track.

Feng Hui-sheng, the Taiwan Railways Administration’s deputy director, told reporters that the vehicle wasn’t braked properly.

“It slid for around 20 metres along the site access road and entered the eastern trunk line”, Hui-sheng said.

The Police took in the manager for questioning, the Central News Agency reported.