The Central Weather Bureau warned yesterday that the weather will be unstable nationwide in coming days, with heavy rain expected to last until tomorrow at least.
People living along the western half of Taiwan were urged to be alert to flood damage.
The bureau said that people in mountainous areas in the northeast in particular should watch out for mudslides and falling rocks.
The bureau said 22 locations suffered heavy rain yesterday, with Fulung in Taipei County recording the highest rainfall.
Because of heavy rain over the past few days, a segment of Chungshan Road in Chungho, Taipei County, sank between 1m and 2m yesterday morning.
It was estimated that a 28m segment of the road collapsed, fracturing water and gas pipes buried underneath.
"I could smell the gas coming out of the pipes," one resident said. "The situation was really dangerous, so I rushed to wake up other residents in the building and then got out."
The Taipei County fire department evacuated a total of 24 households from the five apartment buildings at the scene.
Of the 76 residents evacuated, 63 are staying at a motel in neighboring Yungho.
In Yunlin County, heavy rains have triggered a series of landslips in Linnei Township's Pingting Village since Thursday night.
The Yunlin County Government established an emergency center, which evacuated about 70 people later that night, although some were unwilling to leave.
They were moved to a shelter at the Linnei Township farmers' association.
Some experts from the 921 Earthquake reconstruction committee also inspected the scene.
The center will decide whether it is safe for the residents to return after its investigation is completed on Wednesday.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is fully aware of the situation following reports that the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) has arrived in Taiwan and is to marry a Taiwanese. Local media reported that Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), son of the former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is to marry the granddaughter of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital founder Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政). The pair met when studying abroad and arranged to get married this year, with the wedding breakfast to be held at The One holiday resort in Hsinchu
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon this morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan between Friday and Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The storm, which as of 8am was still 1,100km southeast of southern Taiwan, is currently expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, the CWA said. Because of its rapid speed — 28kph as of 8am — a sea warning for the storm could be issued tonight, rather than tomorrow, as previously forecast, the CWA said. In terms of its impact, Usagi is to bring scattered or
An orange gas cloud that leaked from a waste management plant yesterday morning in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) was likely caused by acidic waste, authorities said, adding that it posed no immediate harm. The leak occurred at a plant in the district’s Environmental Science and Technology Park at about 7am, the Taoyuan Fire Department said. Firefighters discovered a cloud of unidentified orange gas leaking from a waste tank when they arrived on the site, it said, adding that they put on Level A chemical protection before entering the building. After finding there was no continuous leak, the department worked with the city’s Department