600 people had to be evacuated from a
high-speed train in Taiwan after explosives were found in a pair of
abandoned suitcases in a toilet cubicle.
The train, destined for the capital Taipei, was stopped after a passenger found the device which contained enough gasoline to blow up a 60-passenger carriage.
The explosives were found attached to a timer, reportedly close to detonation, during the Friday morning rush-hour.
Attention was drawn to the mysterious luggage after nearby passengers began smelling gas.
Upon discovery, the bags were emitting white smoke, police said, but refused to name any possible suspects.
The setup included five litres of gasoline and had a timer attached to it to trigger an explosion.
Police said the device was likely to have detonated had it not been found, and contained enough gasoline to take out one of the train’s 60-passenger carriages.
All passengers were evacuated shortly after 9am in Hsinchu City and no one came to harm.
The train, destined for the capital Taipei, was stopped after a passenger found the device which contained enough gasoline to blow up a 60-passenger carriage.
The explosives were found attached to a timer, reportedly close to detonation, during the Friday morning rush-hour.
Highly explosive: More than 600 passengers were
evacuated from a high-speed train bound for Taiwan's capital Taipei
after suspected explosives and triggering devices were found on board
Upon discovery, the bags were emitting white smoke, police said, but refused to name any possible suspects.
The setup included five litres of gasoline and had a timer attached to it to trigger an explosion.
Police said the device was likely to have detonated had it not been found, and contained enough gasoline to take out one of the train’s 60-passenger carriages.
All passengers were evacuated shortly after 9am in Hsinchu City and no one came to harm.
Evacuation: The explosives were found in these
two bags which had been left unattended in a lavatory cubicle on the
high-speed train during Friday morning rush-hour
Just in time: The train, which was headed to Taipei, was stopped in Hsinchu and all passengers could be evacuated