At least 36 people have been killed in train crash in eastern Taiwan.

According to Reuters, the accident happened on Apr. 2, after the train derailed while inside a tunnel.

It is believed to have been caused by a collision with a truck.

72 people are also believed to have been injured in what has been described as Taiwan's worst rail disaster in four decades.

Taiwan's transportation minister Lin Chia-lung wrote on Facebook that the train had been traveling from Taipei to the eastern coastal city of Taitung.

The eight-car train typically travels at about 120km per hour and was carrying around 350 passengers at the time of the crash, reported The New York Times.

Images from the crash site circulated on social media showed debris from the train flung into the surrounding areas and carriages misaligned with the railway tracks.

Passengers could also be seen being led away from the wreckage, while emergency services attended to the scene.

According to The New York Times, local Taiwanese media reported that the train driver was still missing.

The train conductor, speaking to a Taiwanese television station, said that he was on one end of the train when he experienced a sudden jolt, caused by what he believes to be the train's emergency brakes being applied.

CNA reported that 18 people were killed in 2018 when a train was derailed in Taiwan's north-east. 175 people were also injured in the incident that saw the train driver charged with negligent homicide.

Top image from 林銘鋒's Facebook page