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.
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