Torrential rain brought by the system containing Typhoon Chanchu brought havoc to parts of the nation yesterday, damaging roads and causing several traffic accidents.
Chanchu was predicted by the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center to track north along China's interior before weakening and moving offshore near Shanghai.
The outer reaches of the storm, which was expected to make landfall in southern China last night, triggered landslides as far away as the Suhua Highway between Suao (蘇澳) in Ilan County and Hualien, closing the road early yesterday morning. Access was restored in the afternoon after the fallen rocks were removed.
Traffic on a highway connecting Hengchun (恆春) with the rest of Pingtung County to the north was temporarily stalled as heavy rain flooded the area.
Two makeshift bridges outside Tawu (大武) Village in Pingtung County's Wutai Township (霧台) were swept away, blocking the only access route to the mountain village.
A tour bus in Penghu County hit a kiosk on the roadside, leaving two passengers seriously injured. Five other passengers suffered minor injuries.
Shipping and passenger services between Kinmen, Matsu, Kaohsiung, Tainan and Penghu were suspended yesterday. The airport on Lanyu in Taitung County was also closed.
The Kinmen, Penghu, Lienchiang and Tainan city and county governments announced yesterday that government workers and students could take today off.
For flights from all airports in Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu, including CKS International Airport, passengers were advised to contact their airline for an update.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) ordered the government to monitor the storm closely, adding that it should not underestimate its force.
An emergency center was formed yesterday to assist local governments in dealing with storm damage.
The Central Weather Bureau issued a land warning at 2:30pm yesterday for Tainan and Taichung counties as Chanchu, the first typhoon of the season, tracked to the northeast.
Meanwhile, all 13 crew members aboard a small oil tanker that ran aground off Kaohsiung Harbor have been rescued, Coast Guard Administration officials reported yesterday.
The officials said the 1,515-tonne Bolivia-registered oil tanker Lucky Star sent out a call for assistance at around 6:47am.
The coast guard sent two vessels to try to tow the oil tanker, but they were unable to get near the ship due to rough seas caused by the typhoon.
The Coast Guard then dis-patched a helicopter to conduct the rescue, which took nearly one hour.
The oil tanker has only a small amount of fuel oil aboard, and the coast guard is continuing to monitor the ship to detect and deal with an oil spill if it occurs.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
RSS