Three soldiers sustained non-life-threatening injuries in a vehicle incident on Saturday in Kaohsiung while participating in the Han Kuang military exercises, the military said yesterday.
The incident occurred when a light reconnaissance tactical vehicle assigned to the Eighth Army Corps struck a roadside curb on Qinan Road in Kaohsiung’s Cishan District (旗山), the Eighth Army Corps Command said in a statement.
The corps is responsible for defending southern Taiwan.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
All three servicemen in the vehicle were immediately taken to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment.
Doctors found they had sustained fractures, scrapes and contusions, the command added.
All three soldiers were conscious and passed field sobriety tests given by police, it said.
The command said it has dispatched senior officers to cooperate with the police investigation and would improve training on military vehicle driving safety.
Saturday’s incident marks the third military vehicle-related incident since the live-fire phase of the Han Kuang exercises began on Wednesday last week.
On Thursday, an M109A2 artillery vehicle crashed into four parked cars in Taoyuan’s Xinwu District (新屋), damaging the vehicles and part of a nearby house.
On Friday, a mobile Patriot missile platform nearly ran into a civilian house in New Taipei City’s Xindian District (新店) after attempting a U-turn. The vehicle was stuck on the roadside for two hours before being towed away.
No injuries were reported in the two incidents.
The longest-ever live-fire component of the military exercises is taking place, with a focus on how the country would counter China’s “gray zone” tactics.
According to the Ministry of National Defense, the 10-day, nine-night live-fire drills running through Friday are twice as long as previous live-fire segments, which typically last five days and four nights.
The ministry has warned that due to the “unscripted” nature and extended duration of this year’s Han Kuang exercises, some inconvenience and disruption to local traffic might occur.
It has called on the public to support the armed forces, emphasizing that realistic training is essential to enhancing combat readiness.
Ministry spokesperson Major General Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday said that Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) was very concerned about injuries sustained by military personnel, and that the military does not wish for any soldier to be harmed.
However, military training inherently involves a high level of risk, with anticipated and unforeseen injuries occurring during the process, he added.
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