Emergency responders were still working late into the night last night after implementing rerouting measures following a landslide near Keelung’s seaside Chaojing Park (潮境公園) yesterday afternoon that buried vehicles and left four people injured.
Local authorities said after a thorough search by rescue units with drones and sniffer dogs, they had accounted for everyone and believed nobody was trapped in the site strewn with giant boulders and debris from a collapsed hill above.
The landslide occurred at about 2:30pm on Beining Road (北寧路) adjacent to Chaojing Park and partially buried nine vehicles and trucks, as well as one scooter.
Photo: Tsai Yun-jung, Taipei Times
Highway Bureau officials said that the landslide was most likely the result of earthquakes in Hualien County and water saturation from rainfall in the past few days.
They estimated that work crews would need more than a week to clear the debris and reopen the road to traffic.
With Chaojing Park being a popular spot for sightseeing, the landslide was recorded by vehicle camcorders from several angles.
Photo courtesy of the Keelung Fire Bureau via CNA
First trees were seen collapsing among earth and rock debris, then large boulders fell and covered a section of road, pushing vehicles out of the way.
Two drivers in their 40s in separate vehicles were initially trapped when their cars were hit by the landslide. Pedestrians and firefighters were able to extricate them. Both remained conscious and were taken to hospital for treatment. Neither was in a life-threatening condition.
Meanwhile a driver surnamed Teng (鄧) and his wife sustained minor injuries as the couple had parked in a parking lot and were enjoying the view of the seashore.
“At first we noticed some pebbles falling from the hill, but did not think it would be anything serious... Then a few minutes later, we heard very loud banging, and were very frightened, as our car got pushed around by the falling rocks and debris,” Teng told reporters.
“The car’s rear got smashed up, and the doors were jammed... so we were scared about being trapped inside and could not get out. Fortunately, some pedestrians in the area came over to assist us and got us out of the car,” he said.
ANNOUNCEMENT: People who do not comply with the ban after a spoken warning would be reported to the police, the airport company said on Friday Taoyuan International Airport Corp on Friday announced that riding on vehicles, including scooter-suitcases (also known as “scootcases”), bicycles, scooters and skateboards, is prohibited in the airport’s terminals. Those using such vehicles should manually pull them or place them on luggage trolleys, the company said in a Facebook post. The ban intends to maintain order and protect travelers’ safety, as the airport often sees large crowds of people, it said, adding that it has stepped up publicity for the regulation, and those who do not comply after a spoken warning would be reported to the police. The company yesterday said that
QUIET START: Nearly a week after applications opened, agencies did not announce or promote the program, nor did they explain how it differed from other visitor visas Taiwan has launched a six-month “digital nomad visitor visa” program for foreign nationals from its list of visa-exempt countries who meet financial eligibility criteria and provide proof of work contracts. To apply, foreign nationals must either provide proof that they have obtained a digital nomad visa issued by another country or demonstrate earnings based on age brackets, the Bureau of Consular Affairs said. Applicants aged 20 to 29 must show they earned an annual salary of at least US$20,000 or its equivalent in one of the past two years, while those aged 30 or older must provide proof they earned US$40,000 in
UNITY MESSAGE: Rather than focusing on what Trump said on the campaign trail about Taiwan, Taipei should be willing to engage with the US, Pompeo said Taiwan plays a key role in Washington’s model of deterrence against China, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Taipei yesterday. During US president-elect Donald Trump’s first term, “we had developed what we believe was a pretty effective model of deterrence against adversaries who wanted to undermine the set of rules and values that the people of Taiwan and the people of the US hold dear,” Pompeo said at a forum organized by the Formosa Republican Association. “Succeeding in continuing to build this model will not solely rest at the feet of president Trump and his team,
TECH CORRIDOR: Technology centers and science parks in the south would be linked, bolstering the AI, semiconductor, biotech, drone, space and smart agriculture industries The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a “Southern Silicon Valley” project to promote the development of an artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor industry in Chiayi County, Tainan, Pingtung County and Kaohsiung. The plan would build an integrated “S-shaped semiconductor industry corridor” that links technology centers and science parks in the south, Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said yesterday after a Cabinet meeting. The project would bolster the AI, semiconductor, biotech, drone, space and smart agriculture industries, she said. The proposed tech corridor would be supported by government efforts to furnish computing power, workforce, supply chains and policy measures that encourage application and integration
RSS