As of 11:00 p.m., a total of 112 members from the tour groups, including the five deceased and 18 seriously injured, had been sent to nearby hospitals, according to Xinhua's tally based on Taiwan authorities and the Chiayi county government.

A spokesperson with the St. Martin De Porres Hospital told Xinhua that among 40 received by the hospital, one died prior to arrival and the rest were in a stable condition. Most of them had minor wounds such as bruises on faces and limbs.

"We will save the injured at all costs with the Taiwan side," said Liu Kezhi, director of the Cross-Strait Tourism Exchange Association's Taipei office, as he visited the hospital.

Earlier on Wednesday, Liu reported the accident to the association and asked Taiwan's related department to make its best efforts to take care of the injured mainland tourists.

The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the National Tourism Administration immediately launched an emergency procedure to handle the accident.

The Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits also contacted the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), urging all-out rescue efforts from Taiwan's relevant departments.

The departments of the mainland would keep in contact with their Taiwan counterparts, actively safeguard the rights and interests of mainland tourists and properly handle the aftermath of the accident, according to a press release by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council on Wednesday evening.

Ali Mountain, or Alishan, is one of Taiwan's premier tourist attractions for mainland tourists. Nine years ago a similar train accident occurred near to the location of Wednesday's accident, killing 17 people and injuring more than 150.

The Alishan rail line, running east from the southern city of Chiayi, goes through steep mountains.