Heavy rain brought by Tropical Storm Mitag continued to pummel the nation yesterday, disrupting the nation's transportation network and causing vegetable prices to rise again.
TV news reports said that two fishermen were still missing after being swept into the sea by strong waves in Longdong, Taipei County, on Monday, while another man drowned while catching eels in a river in Ilan County.
The Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) was forced to halt operations of all trains running between Yunglo (永樂) and Dongao (東澳) in Ilan County yesterday morning because of floods reported along the section.
The railway did not resume normal operation until 4:10pm.
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Highway said yesterday that it had managed to resume two-way traffic on one lane of Suhua Highway at 1:20pm.
Chen Shi-chang (
Chen said that more landslides are very likely to occur on the Suhua Highway, as it is a coastal highway and has been weathered by both earthquakes and wind over the years.
He said that heavy rain only made the road conditions more unstable.
Chen added that both lanes on the highway may potentially be reopened to traffic by Friday, depending on the weather.
The average retail price for vegetables has risen to NT$27 per kilogram. The retail price for cabbage has jumped from NT$40 to NT$45 per kilogram. The price of tomatoes, on the other hand, has soared from NT$70 to NT$100.
Also See: Philippine rescuers search for missing aircraft, fishermen
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