Two men died after a sedan they were traveling in was hit by rocks on a county road in Miaoli County yesterday, the local fire bureau said.
The 5th Fire Control and Rescue Group of the Miaoli County Fire Bureau said it received a report at 3:19 pm yesterday about a red sedan being crushed by a rockfall on a section of County Highway 62-1 in Taian Township (泰安) near Ching An Elementary School.
First responders arrived at the scene and spotted two men trapped and unresponsive in the badly damaged vehicle, half of which was under a huge boulder, the fire bureau said.
Photo courtesy of a member of the public via CNA
A man in the driver’s seat was pulled out of the car first, but the 59-year-old man identified by his surnamed Tu (涂) was without vital signs and later pronounced dead at Da Shuen Hospital, the fire bureau said.
The man in the passenger seat next to the driver suffered serious head injuries and was apparently dead at the scene, it said.
Meanwhile, Miaoli County Police Bureau said the identity of the second man has yet to be confirmed.
According to Taian Township chief Chen Chi-chi (陳吉 基), the deadly incident occurred following the return of sunny weather over the last two days, after the mountainous area was inundated with heavy rain for most of the past month.
The Miaoli County Transportation and Public Works Department has urged road users to exercise extra caution, as several days of rain have increased the risk of rockfalls -- especially along County Highway 62, which leads to the popular Tai’an Hot Springs tourist attraction.
Rockfalls are quite rare along County Highway 62-1, the department said, but road users should pay close attention when traveling to and from the mountainous area.
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