A four-bus collision that occurred at a busy intersection in downtown Taipei on Monday during the morning rush hour injured 22 people and stopped traffic at the busy area for around an hour.
The collision, involving four buses carrying around 50 passengers, occurred at around 8:30 a.m. at the intersection of Nanjing East Road and Linsen North Road, the police added, stressing that 12 ambulances were dispatched to rush the injured to four different hospitals.

Among the 22 injured, most of whom are middle-aged, suffered whiplash injuries or abrasions, while one female passenger surnamed Cheng was relatively seriously injured.

According to the hospital, Cheng suffered a light concussion and fracture and dislocation of cervical spine, but the injuries were not life-threatening.

The polices initial investigation into the cause of the four-bus pile-up indicated that a No. 282 bus alleged failure to keep a safe distance behind the vehicle in front of it might have caused the accident.

According to the police, while three buses were waiting in line on a bus lane for the traffic light to turn green, the driver of the Chih Nan Bus Co.s No. 282 bus Wang Chia-ching allegedly did not see the red light and hit the third bus in the line, setting off a chain collision involving the other two buses of the Kuo Kuang Motor Transport Co.

According to local media, the impact was so strong that nearly all windshields of the No. 282 bus and another Chih Nan bus reared-ended by the No. 282 shattered to pieces, and many passengers were thrown to the front of their buses.

Wang reportedly denied the accusation made by several passengers that he dozed off at the wheel so his bus rear-ended the bus in front, but admitted he failed to keep a safe distance between his bus and the bus in front of him and could not stop his bus in time.

The police are investigating the possibility that Wang might have dozed off, as he appeared to crash at a normal speed.

The police ruled out alcohol as a factor because all the four drivers passed the breath tests. Meanwhile, the transportation ministry has confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the No. 282 bus brake system.