To ensure safety at the Tienmu Baseball Stadium, scheduled to host the 34th Baseball World Cup from Nov. 6 through Nov. 18, the Taipei City Government yesterday held an emergency disaster drill.
After inspecting the one-hour drill, Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
PHOTO: AFP
"The terrorist attack against US soil on Sept. 11 teaches us one thing. That is: anything can happen," Ma said. "We should be well prepared at all times for any possible disaster that might occur in the future."
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Four scenarios were simulated during the drill.
In the first scenario, stadium medical personnel responded to spectators being pushed forward by a panicked crowd and falling out of the stands onto the field. Some had broken limbs, others were injured by objects held or dropped by other spectators.
Before ambulances arrived at the scene -- which took between five to 10 minutes to arrive, the injured were given first-aid at the stadium's medical center. Those more seriously injured were sent to neighboring Yang Ming Hospital, Veterans General Hospital, Hsingkuang Hospital and Cheng Hsin General Hospital.
In the second scenario, stadium medical personnel responded to a spectator who fainted in his seat and then stopped breathing.
The person was treated with a cardiac defibrillator to jumpstart his heart and then rushed to a nearby hospital.
The third scenario consisted of a bomb exploding at the stadium, sending the crowd into a panic. After directing the crowd to evacuate the scene, police began sealing off the area around the blast. All entrances to the stadium were closed and traffic around the stadium was restricted.
They then proceeded to collect evidence and inspect the area to make sure it was safe.
Those suffering from minor injuries were treated at the stadium's medical center and those who were seriously injured were rushed to nearby hospitals.
In the fourth and final scenario, a suspicious looking package is found under a seat in the press area. After being found to contain explosives, it is carefully taken by police to an open space and detonated. Police proceeded to collect the debris and photograph the evidence collected.
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
Taiwan was ranked the fourth-safest country in the world with a score of 82.9, trailing only Andorra, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in Numbeo’s Safety Index by Country report. Taiwan’s score improved by 0.1 points compared with last year’s mid-year report, which had Taiwan fourth with a score of 82.8. However, both scores were lower than in last year’s first review, when Taiwan scored 83.3, and are a long way from when Taiwan was named the second-safest country in the world in 2021, scoring 84.8. Taiwan ranked higher than Singapore in ninth with a score of 77.4 and Japan in 10th with
SECURITY RISK: If there is a conflict between China and Taiwan, ‘there would likely be significant consequences to global economic and security interests,’ it said China remains the top military and cyber threat to the US and continues to make progress on capabilities to seize Taiwan, a report by US intelligence agencies said on Tuesday. The report provides an overview of the “collective insights” of top US intelligence agencies about the security threats to the US posed by foreign nations and criminal organizations. In its Annual Threat Assessment, the agencies divided threats facing the US into two broad categories, “nonstate transnational criminals and terrorists” and “major state actors,” with China, Russia, Iran and North Korea named. Of those countries, “China presents the most comprehensive and robust military threat