The navy yesterday confirmed that a missile from a US-made M48A2 “Chaparral” air defense system exploded near houses in Pingtung County during an exercise in March.
The Chinese-language United Evening News reported yesterday that during a drill at a military base in Jioupeng (九鵬), Pingtung County, a missile fired from a Chaparral toward a sea target suddenly veered toward land and exploded near houses in a village.
The missiles are set to self-detonate 25 seconds after losing contact with a target, and the missile exploded in the air.
One vehicle was damaged in the incident, with no injuries reported.
The navy said the military had compensated villagers for the damage and apologized.
Deputy Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Yen Teh-fa (嚴德發) went to Jioupeng immediately afterward to console villagers and handle compensation, the navy said, adding that the villagers were understanding.
The reasons for the incident could be complicated, the navy said, and could include system problems, the condition of the missile and the weather among other causes.
The news report said a Marine Corps unit and an Army air defense unit operated the Chaparral during the live-fire exercise. The Marines launched two missiles at sea flares. While the first hit the target, the second turned right toward land and exploded beyond the village.
The Marine Corps said that before firing the missile, an audio signal confirmed that the missile had locked onto its target, and infrared sensors also confirmed that the target was in sight, the report said.
The Marine Corps are still trying to determine the reasons for the error, the report said.
A fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a
COVID-19 infections have climbed for three consecutive weeks and are likely to reach another peak between next month and June, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Weekly hospital visits for the disease increased by 19 percent from the previous week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. From Tuesday last week to yesterday, 21 cases of severe COVID-19 and seven deaths were confirmed, and from Sept. 1 last year to yesterday, there were 600 cases and 129 deaths, he said. From Oct. 1 last year to yesterday, 95.9 percent of the severe cases and 96.7 percent of the deaths
Restarting the No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant would take up to 18 months, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said today. Kuo was answering questions during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Economics Committee, where legislators are considering amendments to the Renewable Energy Development Act (再生能源發展條) amid concerns about the consequences of the Pingtung County reactor’s decommissioning scheduled for May 17. Its decommissioning is to mark the end of Taiwan’s nuclear power production. However, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers have proposed an amendment to the Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act (核子反應器設施管制法) that would extend the life of existing
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday demanded that Somalia reverse its decision prohibiting Taiwanese passport holders from entering or transiting through the country. Somalia said it is following the “one China” principle based on UN Resolution 2758. The ministry said that Somalia is misinterpreting the resolution under China’s instigation, creating a false impression that Taiwan is subordinate to China. The Somali Civil Aviation Authority told airlines on Tuesday last week that starting today, any passengers with passports or travel documents issued from Taiwan or its affiliated institutions would not be allowed to enter or transit through Somalia. The decision comes as Taiwan is boosting
RSS