32 dead in Taiwan's worst highway accident for decades

A Taiwan bus taking elderly local tourists home from visiting seasonal cherry blossoms careered off a highway Monday night leaving 32 dead, in the island's worst road accident in decades. It comes after a bus inferno in July last year killed 25 Chinese holidaymakers on board, and is the latest in a series of deadly incidents that have tarnished Taiwan's safety record. The Taiwanese passengers had been returning from a trip to a farm in the central region of Taichung when the bus veered off the motorway in the capital Taipei. Local media said the top of the bus had been torn off and its occupants tossed onto the roadside.

Dashcam footage reported to be from a vehicle behind the bus showed it heading towards a bend in the road then disappearing off the edge of the highway. Police are investigating whether the bus was speeding at the time, according to reports. The national fire agency said 32 people had been killed, with 12 still being treated in hospital, most with serious injuries. Taiwan's Central News Agency said it was the worst road accident for 30 years.