Two people died and eight were injured in an accident involving multiple vehicles on the Sibin Expressway (Highway No. 61) yesterday morning, the Yunlin County Police Bureau said.
At 7:31am, the Chiayi County Fire Department received a report of a deadly accident at the 254km marker on the expressway’s northbound lanes, near the border between Yunlin and Chiayi counties, the bureau said.
Seven trucks and 13 passenger vehicles were involved in the collision, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Chiayi County Fire Department via CNA
The casualties were a man surnamed Lin (林) and a woman surnamed Lee (李), both of whom were in their 60s.
A retired employee of CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and a Chiayi County resident, Lin was driving to inspect his clam farms in Yunlin, police said, adding that Lee was traveling with her husband and son to worship at a temple in Yunlin.
Video footage captured by a driver’s dashboard camera showed Lin’s vehicle, a silver Toyota RAV4, rear-ending a truck transporting propane tanks. His vehicle was then rear-ended by another truck.
Other footage showed an injured man nearly being run over by another vehicle after just having pulled himself up off the ground.
Lin was killed on the spot, police said.
Lee, who was in a car driven by her son, was about to get out of the car after it collided with a vehicle in front of it. She was thrown out of the car when it was hit by another truck, police said.
She was pronounced dead after emergency treatment at a local hospital, police said, adding that her son and husband managed to get out of the car in time.
Police said that the accident might have been caused by low visibility due to thick fog.
Based on the regulations governing investigations of major highway accidents, the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board only opens an investigation into a highway accident when at least three people have died, more than 10 people have died or been injured, or more than 15 people have been injured.
Many asked why the Central Weather Bureau did not issue a thick fog alert for the area.
The bureau said that there is no weather observation station near the scene of the accident, adding that a station would not be able to detect isolated fog.
The bureau said it issues a thick fog warning if the visibility is lower than 200m to 300m.
The Environmental Protection Administration said the density of air pollutants in central Taiwan, Yunlin and Chiayi counties, and Tainan reached the “red” alert level yesterday, which would have indirectly affected visibility.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source