Two workers were rescued from a vehicle that fell into a river at a construction site near Minquan Bridge (民權大橋) in Taipei yesterday afternoon, leaving one without vital signs, authorities said.
The incident occurred at about 1pm near the No. 6 watergate on the Keelung River (基隆河) by Yingfeng Riverside Park (迎風河濱公園), when the vehicle returned to the site after a lunch break and was parking.
The victims, a 50-year-old woman and her 59-year-old husband, both Taiwanese and assisting a painting contractor, were driving a personal small vehicle when it went into the river for reasons that remain under investigation, said the city’s Public Works Department, which is managing the reconstruction project.
Photo: Cheng Ching-yi, Taipei Times
Firefighters and other construction personnel launched a rescue operation using a lifeboat at the site.
The woman was conscious when rescued, while the man was in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and was rushed to a hospital, where medical staff continued resuscitation efforts.
The Taipei Department of Labor said it has dispatched personnel to the site to conduct a labor inspection and assess safety compliance, adding that the exact cause of the accident remains under investigation.
Preliminary findings indicate that although the incident occurred outside active work hours, it took place within the construction zone, and authorities are to assess environmental hazards and ensure site safety while clarifying responsibility, the labor department said.
The construction project aims to address structural aging and surface settlement on the old bridge.
Work resumed yesterday, the second day after the Lunar New Year holiday, and is scheduled to be completed later this year, the Public Works Department said.
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