Thailand to Re-Launch Women-Only Train Carriages

railwayThailand’s railway authority said on Thursday it will re-launch women- and children-only carriages in main routes nationwide after a 13-year-old girl was raped and killed in her berth on an overnight train earlier this month.

The State Railway of Thailand said in a statement that the special carriages will start operating on trains traveling to the north, the northeast and the south on Aug. 1. Female passengers and boys younger than 10 and shorter than 150 centimeters (4 feet 11 inches) can ride in the carriages, which will be run by female employees.

The move followed public furor over the assault allegedly carried out by the train’s staff in early July. One employee was arrested in the rape and murder and a second was arrested as an accomplice. The national railway governor also was sacked by Thailand’s military government.

The railway authority said the new carriage service will ensure the safety and convenience of female and children passengers. Since the girl’s death, alcohol testing has begun on railway employees, and public health agencies have called for alcohol to be banned on trains altogether.

The women-only carriages had been canceled previously due to profit losses.

 

Taiwan plane crash kills 48 and injures 10

taiwan-plane-crashAt least 48 people were killed and 10 injured when a twin-engine turboprop plane crashed while attempting to land in Penghu Islands, according to Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration.

TransAsia Airways Flight GE 222 was preparing to land at Magong Airport in heavy rain on Wednesday and had asked for its second go-around before the accident occurred, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency.

Visibility at the airport during the plane’s attempted landing was about 1,600 meters (1 mile) and considered acceptable for landing, Jean Shen, Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration director told reporters.

Transportation officials arrived Thursday morning to investigate the disaster and assist in relief work. The cause of the crash remains unclear and authorities have identified 14 of the 48 killed, according to CNA.

The plane, an ATR 72-500, carried 54 passengers and four crew members.

Footage on scene showed the plane had crashed in a residential area and broken into pieces. Witnesses told CNN affiliate ETTV that they saw homes on fire after the plane crashed around 7 p.m. The fallen plane destroyed or damaged 11 houses, EETV reported.