A huge landslide buried more than 300m of Freeway No. 3 near Maling Keng (瑪陵坑) in Keelung yesterday afternoon, about 3km from the northern end of the 429km long Formosa Freeway.
As of press time, rescue teams were still digging and it was unclear whether there were cars buried under the rock and mud.
All six northbound and southbound lanes of the highway were buried under an enormous pile of rock and soil stretching 600m to 700m in length. The Dapu overpass crumbled under the weight of the landslide and lay among the debris in the middle of the freeway.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The road is completely 虹naccessible to motorists and was blocked off by authorities.
The National Freeway Bureau yesterday set up an emergency task force to deal with the landslide. Authorities from the military and fire department arrived at the scene later and began digging with dozens of excavators and other heavy machinery. They also used metal detectors to aid their search for any cars that may have been buried.
One mother who hurried to the scene said she suspected her child, who commutes to work along the freeway, was buried under the landslide because she had been told that her child hadn’t arrived at work.
Television actress Chen Mei-fong (陳美鳳), who was driving on that section of the highway at the time of the incident and witnessed the hill collapse onto the road, said there were two or three cars ahead of her when the landslide occurred.
“It happened too fast for me to see whether any cars were buried. I was in a panic, and slammed on my brakes in a hurry,” Chen said on the television news.
The actress said she was not driving fast at the time and was terrified by the “sheer force of nature.”
Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) told reporters that he dispatched Vice Premier Eric Chu (朱立倫) and Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) to the scene after receiving reports from the National Freeway Bureau at about 2:35pm.
The bureau said it could take up to two weeks to clear the debris. Motorists traveling to the Keelung area are advised to take alternative routes such as the Sun Yat-sen Freeway, bureau officials said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old