A landslide triggered by Typhoon Aere buried a mountain village in northern Taiwan yesterday, with the fate of at least 20 residents unknown, the government's disaster relief center said.
Witnesses who escaped the landslide in Wufeng village in the northern county of Hsinchu told local authorities they saw about 24 homes being buried. Officials said the villagers had been told to evacuate before the typhoon arrived.
PHOTO: TSAI MENG-HSIANG, TAIPEI TIMES
"We told the villagers to evacuate before the typhoon hit but it is not clear whether they have evacuated," an official at a disaster relief center said by telephone.
"The situation is unclear, since our rescuers can't reach there by walking, because the Nanching Highway, the only path to the mountainout village, is blocked off by landslide and tumbled rocks," said Chung Chin-liang (
Hsinchu County Commissioner Cheng Yung-chin (
"We doubt if there are still residents there, since many of them were evacuated one day earlier," Cheng said.
Typhoon Aere weakened over northern Taiwan yesterday after bringing heavy rain to central and northern parts of the nation.
However, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) warned residents in the south of the danger of catastrophic rains today and tomorrow.
Northern and eastern Taiwan was hit by strong winds and heavy rain. As of 3pm yesterday, the Cabinet's National Disaster Prevention and Protection Commission reported that Aere had caused a total of five deaths and 23 injuries, while five people remained missing.
In Wufeng Township, Hsinchu County, mountain torrents claimed four lives in Taoshan Village. In Hengshan Township, Hsinchu County, one person died after being hit by a falling electric pole.
Both sea and land warnings might be lifted today. Forecasters said yesterday that more rain would drench the south, because the center of Aere would enter the Taiwan Strait today and move west-southwest.
Expect heavy rains to cause disasters such as landslides, mudflows, and flooding in parts of southern Taiwan, forecasters said.
"Northern Taiwan will become less affected by Aere. However, residents in mountainous areas in central and southern parts of Taiwan have to be highly alert to heavy rains in the following days," said Fred Tsai (
As of 5pm yesterday, the most accumulated rainfall -- 1,545mm -- was measured in Miaoli County. In Pailan, Hsinchu County, 1,334mm rainfall was measured.
In several parts of central Taiwan, which had been hit by floods on July 2 when Tropical Storm Mindulle passed, rainfall exceeding 1,000mm was measured over the past two days.
The bureau yesterday predicted that southern Taiwan might receive abundant rainfall today.
President Chen Shui-bian (
Due to the storm, more than 337,000 homes in northern Taiwan suffered power losses on at least one occasion. According to Taipower, about two thirds of affected households had regained electricity as of yesterday. Thousands of households in Nantou County and Taichung County were left without tap water, because water facilities had been damaged by flooding.
Also see stories:
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
RSS