The bodies of four people killed in a landslide on the Formosa Freeway (National Freeway No. 3) on Sunday were recovered yesterday morning.
The victims were identified as Lee Tse-Ying, 32, Kuo Wen-han (郭文漢), 30, Lin Huei-shin (林惠馨), 55, and Yeh Mao-chu (葉茂竹), also 55.
Rescuers found Lee and Kuo’s bodies at 2:37am and 3:40am respectively. The couple were scheduled to marry in June.
PHOTO: FANG PIN-CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Following the discovery, Kuo’s uncle criticized the National Freeway Bureau for labeling the landslide “a natural disaster.”
“It was sunny and clear when the incident occurred. There was no rain or earthquake,” he said in a TV news interview.
“We are victims of this incident and have yet to talk about the possibility of national compensation, yet, [the government] was busy passing the buck by calling it a natural disaster,” he said.
Lin, a driver with Taiwan Taxi Co, was to celebrate her birthday tomorrow. Lin’s son said he had almost lost the will to live after finding out about his mother’s death.
“She will always be my mom,” he said.
Yeh’s wife said she hoped her children would remember their father’s love for them.
Media reports had also said a silver Mercedes-Benz had been passing through the area when the landslide occurred. The driver, Chang Wen-yong (張文勇), later contacted the Keelung Fire Department to report that he was alive.
The Keelung Prosecutors’ Office said that all four victims had intracranial and intrathoracic hemorrhages as well as fractured skulls, among other wounds. The office said it has formed a special taskforce to investigate the cause of the landslide and determine whether it was caused by human error.
Three cars and four people were buried in the slide, which covered 300m of the Keelung-Sijhih section with 200,000m of soil and rock. At 1pm yesterday, the National Freeway Bureau had removed 61,128 tonnes of earth and rocks from the freeway.
Traffic congestion continued on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway (National Freeway No. 1) during rush hour, with traffic up 26 percent compared with last Wednesday.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications said that clearing work would continue and that aerial photos would be posted on the Internet to help the public follow the progress.
In response to complaints about labeling the slide a natural disaster, Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said: “It’s a misunderstanding. No one has said that it was a natural calamity.”
Wu said the government would determine whether there were unexpected natural factors behind the landslide or if it was caused by construction defects.
The government would also conduct a thorough investigation into roads built along dip slopes to prevent any recurrences, he said.
The government approved compensation of NT$1 million (US$31,800) for each victim in accordance with the measures governing distribution of natural disaster relief funds. Officials delivered the condolence money to families of the victims yesterday.
Asked by reporters if the government would compensate the victims under to the State Compensation Act (國家賠償法) if civil servants or government agencies were found to be responsible, Wu said the problem would be dealt with according to the law.
On behalf of the government, Wu said he felt deeply sorry for the families’ losses.
Meanwhile, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) expressed his regret and led participants in observing a minute of silence before the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Central Standing Committee meeting yesterday.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MO YAN-CHIH AND CNA
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
COVETED PRIZE: The US president would be a peace prize laureate should he persuade Xi Jinping to abandon military aggression against Taiwan, William Lai said US President Donald Trump should get the Nobel Peace Prize should he be able to convince Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to abandon the use of force against Taiwan, President William Lai (賴清德) told a conservative US radio show and podcast in an interview. The US is Taiwan’s most important international backer, despite the absence of formal ties, but since Trump took office earlier this year he has not announced any new arms sales to the nation. Trump could meet Xi at the APEC summit in South Korea on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Lai, speaking on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
RSS