Mudslides and falling rocks in northern Taiwan were reported yesterday. There were no casualties.
According to the Keelung City Fire Department, a house near Bisha Harbor (碧砂港) on Keelung’s Beining Road was reported to have started to slant toward the main road after a mudslide around 4:30pm. Soon after, the entire house collapsed onto the road. Both female residents in the house were able to escape.
The bureau’s preliminary analysis on the cause of the mudslide was that the dirt on the hills overlooking the road had grown too soft with rain these past days and was unable to sustain the weight of the house, causing it to collapse.
Photo: Taipei Times
Also on Beining Road, a large boulder yesterday crashed down onto the road going out of Keelung City toward New Taipei City’s (新北市) Ruifang District (瑞芳) narrowly missing a white sedan. The passing sedan had been pushed out of the way due to the mudslide. The driver was unhurt.
The heavy rain also caused flooding in several areas in Taipei, New Taipei City and Keelung yesterday. The Central Weather Bureau has warned of heavy to torrential rain along the northern coastal areas including Sanjhih (三芝), Shihmen (石門), Tamsui (淡水), Ruifang, Gongliao (貢寮) and Shuangsi (雙溪) districts in New Taipei City.
Photo: Taipei Times
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
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About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
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