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.
National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) yesterday promised it would increase oversight of use of Chinese in course materials, following a social media outcry over instances of simplified Chinese characters being used, including in a final exam. People on Threads wrote that simplified Chinese characters were used on a final exam and in a textbook for a translation course at the university, while the business card of a professor bore the words: “Taiwan Province, China.” Photographs of the exam, the textbook and the business card were posted with the comments. NKUST said that other members of the faculty did not see
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and Chunghwa Telecom yesterday confirmed that an international undersea cable near Keelung Harbor had been cut by a Chinese ship, the Shunxin-39, a freighter registered in Cameroon. Chunghwa Telecom said the cable had its own backup equipment, and the incident would not affect telecommunications within Taiwan. The CGA said it dispatched a ship under its first fleet after receiving word of the incident and located the Shunxin-39 7 nautical miles (13km) north of Yehliu (野柳) at about 4:40pm on Friday. The CGA demanded that the Shunxin-39 return to seas closer to Keelung Harbor for investigation over the
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
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