A professional diver has been hospitalized with decompression sickness and another died following separate scuba mishaps in waters near Houbihu (後壁湖) in Pingtung’s Kenting (墾丁) on Sunday.
Wu Sung-hung (吳松鴻) — an expert in nudibranch molluscs — was one of two involved in diving incidents in the area on Sunday. The other man, surnamed Chung (鍾), was killed, authorities said.
Wu’s mishap was reported by other divers who found him floating unconscious on the ocean’s surface, apparently with a case of decompression sickness caused by a hasty ascent to the surface, sources said.
He was observed at depths of 30m, sources said.
The people who found him transported him to shore, where paramedics resuscitated him.
After reporting reduced mobility, Wu was sent to Kaohsiung Armed Forces Hospital’s Zuoying Branch for hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
The day before the incident, Wu was giving a speech at the Kenting National Park Administration about the ecology of nudibranchs, a group of marine molluscs, in the sea near Houbihu.
In the other incident, Chung, a tourist from Taichung, was participating in a diving expedition, the Hengchun Branch of the Pingtung Fire Bureau said.
He was reported to be in trouble at about 10am. Divers in his group of 24 retrieved and transported him to Houbihu Pier by boat, it said.
Paramedics on the pier found no signs of life and rushed him to Hengchun Tourism Hospital, where he was declared dead in the evening, the bureau said.
Employees of the diving company said that Chung was an experienced diver and nothing out of the ordinary occurred during the expedition leading up to the incident.
His equipment was examined and found to be in good working order, they said.
He apparently made no effort to ascend, as his flotation device was uninflated and diving weights were still attached, the employees said.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS