Model Olivia Ku (顧思妤) reportedly drowned yesterday during an underwater photo shoot in the sea near Houpihu (後壁湖) off Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春).
Firefighters and members of Coast Patrol Corp 6-3 said Ku was pulled out of the water unconscious at 3:26pm yesterday, adding that she died at a local hospital after attempts at resuscitation failed.
The coast guard refused to comment on the circumstances surrounding the incident, or a rumor that Ku had removed her breathing apparatus for aesthetic effect prior to the incident, saying that the investigation is ongoing and a prosecutor assigned to the case was due to survey the scene later yesterday afternoon.
Photo courtesy of Eelin Modeling Agency
Ku, 25, had been an avid amateur diver for the past three years and frequently volunteered to clean refuse from the seabeds near Pingtung, said a commercial diver who was with her during the session, adding that she was “a cheerful and outgoing fellow diver.”
Another seasoned unnamed diver said he was confounded by the mishap, because a diver should have been on watch for accidents during underwater photography sessions, in which breathing apparatus is often removed, and that shoots are usually conducted in shallow waters to take advantage of natural light.
Ku was married to a cousin of Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩). She is survived by her husband and a four-year-old daughter
Chiu yesterday expressed grief at Ku’s passing on Facebook, saying: “Your life was cut too short at the age of 25, but you will always be in the hearts of our big family.”
Publicists of Eelin Entertainment, Ku’s modeling agency, said the agency’s management and employees mourn Ku’s death and are helping the family in her funeral arrangements, and that the group will not make further comments out of respect for her family’s wishes for privacy.
The agency added that the photo shoot was not work-related.
Additional reporting by Su Fu-nan
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS