The bodies of two individuals were recovered and three additional bodies were discovered on the Shakadang Trail (砂卡礑) in Taroko National Park, eight days after the devastating earthquake in Hualien County, search-and-rescue personnel said.
The rescuers reported that they retrieved the bodies of a man and a girl, suspected to be the father and daughter from the Yu (游) family, 500m from the entrance of the trail on Wednesday.
The rescue team added that despite the discovery of the two bodies on Friday last week, they had been unable to retrieve them until Wednesday due to the heavy equipment needed to lift the rocks.
Photo courtesy of the Hualien Fire Department via CNA
The team also said it discovered two more bodies at about 3pm at a depth of 3 to 5m, also located 500m from the trail entrance.
It added that the two people had been hugging each other when they were killed.
Rescuers said another body had been discovered nearby at about 5pm.
The rescue team added that the two bodies retrieved and the three bodies discovered on Wednesday were all believed to be members of the Yu family.
Rescuers said the bodies would be sent to a funeral parlor in Hualien.
A Singaporean couple is still missing in the area. Search-and-rescue personnel confirmed they were last seen near a large water pipe about 1.8km from the trail entrance.
On Wednesday afternoon, six rescue workers and three dogs were dispatched to search the area, but no trace of the pair was discovered.
The Ministry of Agriculture said that as of Tuesday there had been 779 landslides covering a total area of 433.93 hectares since the quake struck.
There has been no significant movement in the large landslide-prone areas being surveilled since the quake, the ministry said, adding that monitoring would continue.
In addition, the total amount of damage to agricultural products, private and public facilities, and other losses was NT$80.8 million (US$2.51 million) as of Tuesday, with Hualien County experiencing the vast majority — NT$79.15 million (97.96 percent of the total).
Assistance to compensate those who have experienced agricultural losses is being processed per regulations, the ministry added.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said. Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a “non-red supply chain,” Lin was quoted as saying in the ministry’s written report to the Legislative Yuan submitted ahead of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting slated for today. The Ministry would also uphold a spirit of mutual beneficial collaboration, maintaining close communication and consultations with Washington to show that Taiwan-US cooperation
RSS