A cyclist was early yesterday morning struck and killed by an allegedly drunk driver while riding to join a cycling race in New Taipei City, police said.
The cyclist, a Philippine man working at a factory in Taoyuan’s Lujhu District (蘆竹), was riding along with three other workers to join the annual Double Home Court Western Coast Highway Cycling Challenge when he was killed in the hit-and-run incident, they said.
EARLY MORNING
The incident occurred at 4:27am when the four were traveling along Highway 15 toward Liaotianding Temple, where cyclists were gathering for the race.
The 32-year-old cyclist was struck from behind by a fast-traveling vehicle near Rui-Ping Elementary School in Linkou District (林口), police said.
He died at the scene after sustaining fractures and severe head injuries, they said.
A neighborhood resident said she heard loud noises caused by the crash and helped the cyclists call the 119 emergency hotline.
FOUND IN THE BUSHES
Police said they found the cyclist’s body and his damaged bicycle in the bushes by the roadside.
The driver involved in the crash had allegedly abandoned his vehicle and fled the scene by the time police arrived, they said.
Police later used vehicle registration records and surveillance systems to determine that the vehicle belonged to a man surnamed Chien (簡), who was summoned to the Linkou Precinct for questioning.
Chien reported to the precinct at 9am accompanied by a friend.
The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office released Chien on bail of NT$200,000.
Police cited him as saying that he was driving home after having dinner with his friends on Saturday night, adding that he abandoned the vehicle and fled because he was allegedly driving under the influence when the crash occurred.
A test showed that Chien’s blood-alcohol level allegedly exceeded the legal limit of 0.25 milligram per liter, police said.
He faced criminal charges of endangering public safety, leaving the scene of a fatal accident and wrongful death, they added.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
RSS