24 injured in Taiwan train blast

At least 24 people were injured in an explosion on a train in Taiwan's capital on Friday, in an incident described by the island's premier as "malicious".

The blast at around 10 PM (1400 GMT) caused a small fire and plunged the carriage into darkness as the train was pulling into a station in Taipei.

"It looks like somebody did this with a malicious intent and we will fully investigate this case," Taiwan's premier Lin Chuan told reporters.

Local media quoted eyewitnesses saying they had seen a man carry a black rectangle-shaped object onto the train.

Police were reviewing surveillance footage to try and identify the man, but also said that they had not received any threats prior to the incident.

"It's something like a firecracker that exploded... I saw a rectangle-shaped firecracker on the seat. We will explain more after the forensics team inspect (the scene)," said National Police Agency chief Chen Kuo-en.

Television footage showed emergency workers treating injured passengers outside the train station, most of them suffering from burns.

"There was a blast and the carriage went dark. People were panicking and screaming," one passenger told a local news channel.

"I saw the fire from the lights and I heard a sound and my hair was on fire," another woman said.

Images from inside the train carriage showed shattered glass on the floor and part of a side wall blackened by flames.

"I want to tell the public to rest assured as we have heightened the alert for the security of public areas and transport systems," premier Lin told reporters after he had visited the injured in hospital.

The government set up an emergency taskforce to investigate the cause and a police probe is underway, his office also said in a statement.

Coimbatore District Panchayat Bags Prestigious National Award for Excellence in Governance

Coimbatore District Panchayat has secured third place nationally in the Nanaji Deshmukh Sarvottam Panchayat Satat Vikas...

DMK District Secretaries’ Meeting Underway Under MK Stalin’s Leadership

The DMK district secretaries’ meeting is currently underway at Anna Arivalayam in Chennai under the leadership of DMK pr...

Coimbatore Cop Arrested After Woman Accuses Him of Threats and Forced Abortion

A police constable attached to Pillur Police Station near Coimbatore has been arrested by the All Women Police following...

Amul, Mother Dairy Hike Milk Prices by ₹2 Per Litre From Today

Amul and Mother Dairy have announced a ₹2 per litre increase in milk prices, effective May 14, citing rising production,...

Traffic Restrictions on Coimbatore’s GD Naidu Flyover From Tonight

Temporary traffic restrictions have been imposed on the GD Naidu Flyover in Coimbatore from tonight (May 14) due to opti...

Health Center to Drainage Works: coimbatore Peelamedu Ward 27 Gets Inspection

Coimbatore Corporation North Zone Ward 27 Councillor Ambika Danapal conducted field inspections of the primary health ce...