Taipei recorded 19 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) deaths on Tuesday and Wednesday, possibly prompted by cold weather, the Taipei Fire Department said yesterday.
On Tuesday, 14 people died after OHCA, with five dying on Wednesday, the department said.
Most of those who died were older than 80, it said.
While the exact causes of the deaths could not be determined, people with cardiac conditions or those older than 65 should take precautions, as abrupt temperature changes can cause vein constriction, leading to a stroke or myocardial infarction, the department said.
Changhua County reported 62 cardiovascular-related emergency calls and seven deaths in the 28 hours from 8am on Wednesday, while Yunlin County had reported three OHCA deaths as of 5pm yesterday.
Emergency responders said that the cold weather was to blame for the death of a 28-year-old soldier in Chiayi City, who collapsed on the first floor of his residence at 11:11am yesterday.
As doctors found no signs of injury and the man had no history of medical problems, the cause was determined to be a cold-related cardiovascular condition, police said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said that low temperatures are set to persist across Taiwan until tomorrow following the arrival on Wednesday of this winter’s first cold wave.
Temperatures are expected to remain at about 10°C across most of Taiwan today, with the mercury possibly dipping to 6°C in some areas, the agency said.
The CWA has warned of sustained temperatures of about 10°C in areas north of Hsinchu, Yilan and Hualien counties, as well as in Kinmen County, and 6°C in Lienchiang County.
In New Taipei City, Taoyuan and Hsinchu County, nighttime lows could dip to about 6°C, the CWA said.
In Kaohsiung, and Pingtung and Penghu counties, low temperatures would be 12°C to 13°C, it added.
The lowest temperatures recorded at low-elevation areas in Taiwan proper yesterday morning were 9.5°C at Fugui Cape (富貴角) in New Taipei City’s Shihmen District (石門) and 9.6°C in Taoyuan’s Yangmei District (楊梅), CWA data showed.
There is a chance of snow on some of Taiwan’s highest mountains, including Lalashan (拉拉山), Taipingshan (太平山) and Hehuanshan (合歡山), but it would depend on air moisture and temperatures, independent meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) said.
Sleet fell on Yushan (玉山) yesterday after early morning temperatures fell to minus-1°C on the mountain’s north peak, the CWA said.
Sleet was recorded at about 11:20am at the weather station on Yushan 3,858m above sea level, it said.
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
NON-RED SUPPLY: Boosting the nation’s drone industry is becoming increasingly urgent as China’s UAV dominance could become an issue in a crisis, an analyst said Taiwan’s drone exports to Europe grew 41.7-fold from 2024 to last year, with demand from Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression the most likely driver of growth, a study showed. The Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) in a statement on Wednesday said it found that many of Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) sales were from Poland and the Czech Republic. These countries likely transferred the drones to Ukraine to aid it in its fight against the Russian invasion that started in 2022, it said. Despite the gains, Taiwan is not the dominant drone exporter to these markets, ranking second and fourth
The New Taipei City Art Museum this weekend plans to celebrate its first anniversary with a two-day extravaganza featuring live concerts and a large-scale synchronized fireworks and drone display, the New Taipei City Cultural Affairs Department said. The two-day celebrations are to take place in the museum’s outdoor park, with markets and live performances by singers including Ann Bai (白安), Bii (畢書盡) and the Cosmos People (宇宙人), the department said. The highlight on both evenings would be the "Echoes of Light" show, an aerial spectacle combining fireworks and drone performances designed around the concept of "dual stages in the sky," it
RSS