A firecracker apparently caused an explosion on a commuter train that injured at least 24 people Thursday evening in Taiwan, according to the nation's official Central News Agency.
Witnesses reported hearing a loud blast before the sixth rail car burst into flames in the capital of Taipei, the news agency reported.
National Police Agency Director General Chen Kuo-en said an explosive that looked like a firecracker was the suspected culprit, the news agency reported.
The news agency, citing a local newspaper, reported that a witness saw a man in his 40s walking into a coach of the train and placing a "black, long-shaped object" inside it before leaving. An explosion was heard soon afterward, the agency reported.
The Taipei City Fire Department extinguished the blaze after responding about 10 p.m. local time. The cause of explosion is unknown, the news agency reported. One of the injured suffered burns over 30% of his body.
The explosion happened as Taiwan braces for a super typhoon projected to strike early Friday.