A train accident that killed five Chinese tourists earlier this week in central Taiwan was caused by a termite-bitten falling tree branch, the government said Friday.
The Council of Agriculture said in a report on the accident near Mount Ali that the inside of the branch that fell from a giant ring-cupped oak tree was rotten from termite bites although it was not visible from the outside.
"It is a natural phenomenon that could not have been prevented," the report said, citing experts who investigated the scene.
Five Chinese tourists died while about 100 others were injured on Wednesday when the tree branch struck the train in a densely forested area on the slopes of the mountain, causing four carriages to derail and overturn.
It triggered fresh safety concerns as several accidents have taken place on the Mount Ali rail route in the past, including one incident in 2003 that killed 17 people.
Taiwan has experienced a boom in Chinese tourists in recent years as restrictions on travel between the two former rivals have been relaxed.
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