A Taiwan Television (TTV) news cameraman drowned yesterday after being caught off guard by flooding in the Keelung River.
Alex Ping (平宗正), 31, was pronounced dead at Rueifang Hospital in Taipei County after doctors struggled to save his life.
PHOTO: TTV
"Ping was pronounced dead at 1:20pm. When he was rushed to the hospital around noon, he did not show any vital signs," a spokesperson at the hospital told the Taipei Times yesterday afternoon.
The accident took place while Ping, along with a group of reporters, were waiting for Premier Yu Shyi-kun to visit a flood-diversion tunnel in Rueifang. The visit was scheduled for 10:40am. The site, called the Yuanshanzih Flood Diversion Works of the Keelung River, is where water from the Keelung River is diverted through Rueifang and towards the northeast coast to mitigate flooding.
Although Yu's visit was canceled, Ping and three other reporters were caught in the diverted floodwaters while waiting at the site. The other three reporters were rescued in time, but Ping drowned.
"All of us [reporters at the scene] were trying to meet our noon deadlines by covering Yu's visit to the tunnel, and we were in a hurry to leave the mountain ... when the water rushed down upon us in full force. I am 1.8 meters tall, and the water was up to my chest. Ping and female reporter were the last to be rescued. According to the rescue team, Ping actually pushed the reporter towards the rescue boat so that she could be saved first. When the team came back to get Ping, he was not showing any vital signs," said China Television System (CTS) reporter Li Wen-yao (李文耀), who was at the scene.
Li said that when he saw Ping for the last time he was still carrying his camera equipment.
"When I turned around to have a look at the people behind me, I saw Ping, still carrying his camera equipment. Should Ping have decided to drop his heavy equipment, he might still be alive," Li said.
The Water Resources Agency (WRA) said that Ping and the other reporters had been warned by a construction worker at the site not to try to cross the water during flood diversion.
"The agency issued a notice regarding the flood diversion to Rueifang Township at 9:30am. A construction worker advised the four reporters not to attempt to cross the water; however, as the reporters were eager to meet their deadlines, they did it anyway," WRA Director-General Chen Shen-hsien (陳伸賢) said.
Ping graduated from Nanhua University's Department of Communication, and worked as a print reporter for GTV News before becoming a Keelung-based cameraman for TTV in August last year.
"The premier offers his condolences to Ping's family and is moved by the professional dedication of news reporters. The premier also asked Minister of the Interior Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) and Government Information Office Director-General Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) to provide assistance to Ping's family by helping with the necessary arrangements to be made following Ping's passing," Cabinet Spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said.
In response to the tragedy, the Association of Taiwan Journalists issued a statement urging journalists to watch out for their personal safety when covering disasters.
"We would like to remind media groups to offer on-the-job safety training for their reporters ... as well as to purchase accident insurance for their reporters," the association said.
Upon hearing of Ping's accident, CTS decided to increase its accident insurance policies for its reporters.
"First, we would like to offer our condolences. In addition to the group insurance and accident coverage we usually offer to our reporters, for the 20 news reporters who are working today, we have increased their accident insurance policies," CTS vice president Rick Chu (朱立熙) said yesterday.
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