One person was missing and 131 were injured after the nation was hit by two tropical storms within 24 hours over the weekend, the Central Emergency Operations Center said yesterday.
Fifty-four of the injured are from Taipei, the center said, adding that most of the injuries were caused by people being swept away by strong winds, falling from motorbikes or getting hit by debris.
Two of the injured are in serious condition and remain in hospital, it said.
Photo: Chien Hui-ju, Taipei Times
The person who went missing was last seen near the Formosa Freeway (Freeway No. 3) in Pingtung County’s Nanchou Township (南州), the center said, adding that the Pingtung police and fire departments are looking for the person.
Heavy rainfall caused 320 floods nationwide, with Tainan and Pingtung sustaining the heaviest damage, the center added.
Typhoon Nesat and Tropical Storm Haitang prompted the evacuation of 13,167 people, data from the center show.
As of 6pm yesterday, 1,331 people remained in shelters, about 2,800 households were without electricity and 237 mobile phone base stations were damaged, the data showed.
Water, natural gas and landline telephone services have been restored to all households affected by the storms.
The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) and Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp returned to normal operations yesterday.
The TRA said that the Alishan Forest Railway’s main line would be closed today, as landslides have damaged a tunnel and railroad tracks.
The three branch lines of the forest railway are to resume operations today after the TRA conducted test runs.
The Central Weather Bureau lifted land and sea alerts for Haitang at 8:30am yesterday, but the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said 92 domestic flights and five international flights were canceled, and 41 domestic flights and four international flights were delayed.
The Marine Port Bureau reported that 125 shipping services were canceled yesterday, adding that 44 shipping services are expected to be canceled today, mostly to the outlying islands of Matsu and Penghu.
Agricultural losses caused by the two storms have topped NT$238 million (US$7.9 million) and damage to educational facilities in all levels of schools reached NT$35.07 million.
The Tourism Bureau yesterday laid out the principles on compensating the tourists affected by a strike at EVA Air Corp on Sunday.
Tourists whose flights were canceled due to the strike would be refunded their tour fees after deducting non-refundable fares, such as visa application fees or other booking charges.
Travel agencies must not ask for additional charges from tourists whose trips were disrupted by the strike and must help the tourists return to their home nations, the bureau said.
The CAA also asked employees and EVA Airways management to restore dialogue following the strike.
“We hope that EVA Air can learn from [the strike] and negotiate with the flight attendants about reasonable work schedules on typhoon days, so that passengers and flight attendants are protected,” the CAA said.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS