The bodies of two individuals were recovered and three additional bodies were discovered on the Shakadang Trail (砂卡礑) in Taroko National Park, eight days after the devastating earthquake in Hualien County, search-and-rescue personnel said.
The rescuers reported that they retrieved the bodies of a man and a girl, suspected to be the father and daughter from the Yu (游) family, 500m from the entrance of the trail on Wednesday.
The rescue team added that despite the discovery of the two bodies on Friday last week, they had been unable to retrieve them until Wednesday due to the heavy equipment needed to lift the rocks.
Photo courtesy of the Hualien Fire Department via CNA
The team also said it discovered two more bodies at about 3pm at a depth of 3 to 5m, also located 500m from the trail entrance.
It added that the two people had been hugging each other when they were killed.
Rescuers said another body had been discovered nearby at about 5pm.
The rescue team added that the two bodies retrieved and the three bodies discovered on Wednesday were all believed to be members of the Yu family.
Rescuers said the bodies would be sent to a funeral parlor in Hualien.
A Singaporean couple is still missing in the area. Search-and-rescue personnel confirmed they were last seen near a large water pipe about 1.8km from the trail entrance.
On Wednesday afternoon, six rescue workers and three dogs were dispatched to search the area, but no trace of the pair was discovered.
The Ministry of Agriculture said that as of Tuesday there had been 779 landslides covering a total area of 433.93 hectares since the quake struck.
There has been no significant movement in the large landslide-prone areas being surveilled since the quake, the ministry said, adding that monitoring would continue.
In addition, the total amount of damage to agricultural products, private and public facilities, and other losses was NT$80.8 million (US$2.51 million) as of Tuesday, with Hualien County experiencing the vast majority — NT$79.15 million (97.96 percent of the total).
Assistance to compensate those who have experienced agricultural losses is being processed per regulations, the ministry added.
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