A traffic incident involving a bus hitting two pedestrians crossing the road in Taichung last night has left one dead and the other injured, local authorities said.
The accident occurred at 9:15pm when two women were walking across the pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Luchuan East Street and Zhongshan Road, police said.
Photo courtesy of a reader
One of the women, a 20-year-old surnamed Lin (林), was trapped under the bus.
She was rushed to the hospital after being pulled out, but efforts to save her failed, police said.
The other woman, a 21-year-old surnamed Wang (王), sustained scratches and bruises on her limbs and was conscious when she was sent to the hospital.
A breathalyzer test on the bus driver did not show any trace of alcohol, police said.
The driver, surnamed Shih (施), said he did not see the women because it was dark and they were wearing dark clothing.
He added that he noticed a dark shadow as the bus crashed into them.
The driver was released on bail of NT$200,000 this afternoon after being interrogated by prosecutors on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter.
Tunghai University, where both women were enrolled as undergraduates, issued a statement today expressing its condolences.
The school pledged to provide the victims' families with all necessary support, including investigation and insurance matters.
It also condemned the bus driver and operator, Geya Bus Transport Co Ltd, for causing the loss of a promising young life.
A manager at the company identified by his surname, Hsu (徐), said both the company and the driver would take responsibility for the accident.
Shih's license may be revoked, Hsu added.
He said that Shih had been employed at the company for seven years and has no record of poor driving.
The company has conveyed condolences to the victims' families in person and would cooperate with all investigations, he said, adding that the company would also focus on training drivers to stop and wait before turning.
The Taichung Transportation Bureau said it had ordered the company to provide footage from the dashboard camera in the bus.
If the bus driver is found to be the main cause of the accident, the company would face a heavy penalty, the bureau said.
The city has also promised to assist the families with compensation matters.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS