A deadly car crash reportedly caused by a flat tire that sent a sports utility vehicle (SUV) off a 10-story-high overpass claimed the lives of six people, with the sole survivor, a 32-year-old woman named Chan Meng-chen (詹孟蓁), receiving treatment for a fractured pelvic bone, Miaoli County’s Houlong Township (後龍) fire department said yesterday.
According to the fire department’s preliminary reports, calls at about noon said there was a car accident at the 130.8km marker on the southbound lanes of the Formosa Freeway (Freeway No. 3) near the Houlong junction.
The Houlong precinct was notified of the incident and dispatched personnel, who found a silver SUV and seven people.
Photo: Cheng Hung-ta, Taipei Times
The department said that when rescue personnel arrived, only the driver and the front passenger were still in the vehicle, while the other passengers had been ejected from the car.
Paramedics also found two people on the freeway and three under the elevated section’s supports, the department said, adding that none of the six fatalities exhibited any vital signs by the time they arrived at a hospital.
Chan said the group was comprised of college classmates heading south from Taipei to attend another classmate’s wedding, adding that she was asleep at the time of the accident.
A tire might have blown out as the vehicle was crossing the Houlong section, Chan said, adding that she had been thrown out of the car at that point and then lost consciousness.
A police inspection of the crash site found exposed steel on the rear left tire, leading investigators to suspect that the tire might have blown out, causing the vehicle to flip over. However, they added that further investigation is required.
A farmer surnamed Yu (余), who witnessed the incident, said he had been “scared witless,” adding that when he saw two “things” drop from the highway, he at first thought someone had tossed trash out of a car window.
“I realized that there was something wrong when a car also dropped” less than three seconds later, Yu said.
Yu said he tried to call the police, but was unable to due to bad reception, adding that he had stayed on scene to help direct paramedics to where he saw people drop.
Additional reporting by CNA
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft