The exact location of a UH-60 Black Hawk that went missing on Monday night off the coast of Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) while transporting a patient has yet to be determined, Deputy Minister of the Interior Chiu Chang-yueh (邱昌嶽) said yesterday morning.
Members of an Aviation Safety Council (ASC) ad hoc investigation team were only yesterday able to begin operations in the waters with the help of the Coast Guard Administration, ASC Executive Director Thomas Wang (王興中) said.
The team had arrived in Taitung County on Tuesday, but poor weather conditions prevented them from traveling to Orchid Island, he said.
They first deployed a hydrophone where the helicopter disappeared from radar, Wang said, adding that the device must be within 1 nautical mile (1.85km) of the missing aircraft in order to detect signals transmitted by its black box.
Air traffic control radar data showed that the Black Hawk went missing in an area of the ocean that is about 800m to 1km deep, the ASC said, adding that the search would be difficult.
An oceanic trench in the area is very deep, with the shallowest regions more than 800m below water, Chiu said.
Microwave signals sent by the helicopter might be blocked by sand and rocks, so instruments above the water will likely be unable to receive them, he said.
The signals only last for 30 days, Chiu said, adding that the signals would become weaker with time.
The number of personnel assigned to the search-and-rescue operation has not been reduced, but rather increased, he said.
“We are not giving up and will use all of our energy to search for and recover the helicopter, so that the family members of the missing crew and passengers can rest,” Chiu said.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS