Taiwan braced for the imminent splash-down of the Russian space station Mir, warning residents to stay home this afternoon and setting up an emergency center.
And Mir angst was blamed for the suicide yesterday of a Tai-wanese man who could not cope with the suspense of where Mir might plunge to Earth.
"For the sake of safety, residents should avoid going out between 1pm and 4pm," the National Science Council said.
Taichung, has turned its fire department into a rapid-response center to handle any emergencies which might occur in the unlikely event that the city were to be hit by Mir wreckage.
"We don't know what to do, but we will sit here and stand guard," a fireman said.
Russia says its 15-year-old Mir is expected to splash down at 2pm Taipei time somewhere in the South Pacific between New Zealand and Chile.
Computer simulation by Tai-wan's National Space Program Office (NSPO) showed that debris could conceivably hit almost any nation on the Pacific rim if Mir's descent begins earlier or later than scheduled.
"It it begins 30 minutes earlier, the debris could hit Japan. If it begins five to 10 minutes later, they could hit Argentina, Chile and Brazil. If it's one hour later, they could hit Taiwan," NSPO said.
"If everything is under control, Taiwan's chance of being hit is one in 1 billion. If things go out of control, the chance is one in 10,000," NSPO Director Lee Luo-chuan (
Meanwhile, Mir's imminent destruction prompted a Taiwan man to commit suicide.
Su Chun-min, a young man in Pingtung County, had been suffering from depression for some time but his emotional state had been worsened with worries over when and where Mir might fall to Earth.
Yesterday, he doused himself with gasoline and immolated himself in front of his grandfather's tomb.
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