At least 21 people have been injured following an explosion on a train in Taiwan.

The cause of the blast, at the Songshan railway station in the capital Taipei, is not yet known.

According to local reports, a man in his forties entered the carriage, put something down and left the train. Shortly afterwards, a fire broke out and more than a dozen people were taken to hospital.


Authorities said the blast was most likely caused by a ‘firecracker-like device’.

Pictures from the scene show carriages filled with dust in the aftermath, as firefighters arrive.

#BREAKING 21 injured in an explosion in a Taiwan passenger train carriage in Taipei; cause of explosion unknown pic.twitter.com/XuF7dO4ARe — CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) July 7, 2016

‘I want to tell the public to rest assured as we have heightened the alert for the security of public areas and transport systems,’ Premier Lin said after he visited the injured in hospital.

Police are investigating.