A 20m section of a major road connecting the remote mountainous Malingkeng area in Keelung with the outside world collapsed yesterday morning, breaking underground water pipes and causing an interruption in water supply to small villages.
No casualties were reported and the road's collapse was attributed to a rapid deterioration of the road base caused by heavy rainfall that accompanied Typhoon Dujuan last week.
The Keelung City Government sent an emergency team to the scene to manage the crisis. The team managed to complete a temporary bridge by the afternoon, which was necessary to restore normal traffic flow.
Residents of the area, however, complained about ongoing nearby construction to reinforce the riverbank along the Keelung river and said heavy trucks transporting sandstone damaged the road. They also blamed long-term lax water and soil management efforts for the collapse.
Local authority officials have been looking into possible causes and will discuss the issue with the Water Resources Agency, which is in charge of the controversial reinforcement construction along the Keelung River.
Meanwhile, forecasters at the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday that afternoon thunderstorms might affect most northern and western mountainous areas during the week, while the rest of the nation will experience hot, dry weather.
The bureau has also been keeping an eye on a newly formed tropical cyclone, which was 1,800km away from Taiwan yesterday.
Officials said that it remained uncertain whether the tropical cyclone would grow into a typhoon and make landfall in Taiwan, bringing much-needed rain to the country's northern areas.
According to the bureau, afternoon thunderstorms will be a possibility on the Mid-Autumn Festival on Thursday.
However, the weather, will become clear in the evening, making it possible for people to enjoy the beauty of the full moon, officials said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese