Two Highway Bureau officials were indicted yesterday for alleged negligence leading to the collapse of the Kaoping Bridge (高屏大橋) in southern Taiwan on Aug. 27.
Prosecutors recommended that each of the officials be given a sentence of three years and six months.
Two sections of the bridge, which was a major link between Kaohsiung County and Pingtung County, collapsed into the Kaoping Creek (
After nearly a month of investigation assisted by experts, Pintung prosecutors said yesterday that the primary reason for the collapse was faulty construction of the bridge supports.
"Due to the insufficient strength of the structure, bridge support No. 22 was exposed to strong water currents and its foundations severely eroded, until it was finally unable to sustain the weight of the bridge and broke," a divisional head prosecutor said.
The prosecutor said that during Typhoon Bilis, which hit on Aug. 22, heavy floodwater had changed the course of the creek so that the flow of water was concentrated on the No. 22 pillar.
"Furthermore, had the two officials checked the bridge in accordance with regulations after the typhoon and assessed the situation, the incident could have been prevented," the prosecutor said.
The prosecutor said the indicted pair had committed the offense of "negligence of duties by a public official causing a catastrophe," which is punishable by imprisonment from three years to 10 years.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday that China using armed force against Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, allowing the country to mobilize the Japanese armed forces under its security laws. Takaichi made the remarks during a parliamentary session yesterday while responding to a question about whether a "Taiwan contingency" involving a Chinese naval blockade would qualify as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, according to a report by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. "If warships are used and other armed actions are involved, I believe this could constitute a survival- threatening
RSS