A pilot was rescued after ejecting from an air force Brave Eagle advanced trainer jet shortly after take off from Chih-hang Air Base in Taitung City this morning, February 15. According to Air Force Command, a single pilot was aboard when the left engine failed shortly after take-off at around 8:40 am. The pilot ejected and parachuted into the sea. Another aircraft flying in formation with the crashed aircraft guided rescuers to the location of the downed pilot. A Ministry
Read moreAuthor: Phillip Charlier
Explosion in Taichung City department store leaves 4 dead, 26 injured
At least four people died and 26 were injured after a suspected gas explosion in a department store in Taichung City, today, Wednesday, February 13. According to reports, a massive explosion occurred on the 12th floor of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store at 11:33 am. Video footage uploaded to social media showed the floor-to-ceiling windows on several floors blowing out and falling onto the street below. Among the dead and injured were a family of seven visiting from Macau.
Read moreMagnitude 6.4 earthquake in southern Taiwan leaves 27 injured: no fatalities reported
At least 27 people were injured, some buildings have collapsed or been damaged, and water and electricity outages have been reported after a series of earthquakes struck southern Taiwan shortly after midnight today, January 21. A 6.4 magnitude earthquake centered in Dapu Township, Chiayi County struck at 12:17 am, rocking the whole island of Taiwan, and was felt as far away as the northern Philippines and southern islands of Japan. The initial earthquake was followed by a series of aftershocks
Read moreThai man charged for importing 11 kilograms of heroin into Taiwan
A Thai national has been charged for attempting to import a Category 1 narcotic into Taiwan after being caught with a suitcase containing heroin bricks at Taoyuan International Airport in October last year. According to the Taoyuan District Prosecutor’s Office, the 47-year-old man, who is not named in the press release, was arrested at Taoyuan International Airport after customs officials alerted by an x-ray examination found a suitcase containing heroin bricks on October 4, 2024. Investigators found 30 heroin bricks
Read moreSerial freeway crash involving 14 vehicles leaves 2 dead, chemical tanker leaking in southern Taiwan
An accident on National Highway 1 in Kaohsiung City caused a chemical tanker leak, and a crash in the resulting traffic jam left two dead and several people injured, Taiwanese media outlets reported Tuesday morning. Kaohsiung City Fire Department received reports of a three-vehicle accident involving a chemical tanker at the 338.5 kilometer mark in the southbound lanes of National Highway 1 in Luzhu District at 5:08 am. Firefighters from Kaohsiung City and Tainan City were dispatched to the scene
Read moreFear of spontaneous combustion keeps buyers away from electric bus auction
Two electric buses were sold for virtual pennies after 14 vehicles that once belonged to a bankrupt transport company were offered for auction in Taichung City today. The Taichung Branch of the Administrative Enforcement Agency of the Ministry of Justice reminded potential buyers of the danger of volatile batteries before holding the auction for electric buses that were seized from the beleaguered Sifang Electric Bus Company after the company went out of business in October 2023. The buses were what
Read moreNo one’s dumb enough to drive in the freeway fast lane without paying attention to what’s ahead, right?
Highway police reminded drivers to pay attention to the situation in front of their vehicle, and maintain a safe distance, after a light truck crashed into a maintenance vehicle before being hit by a car from behind on National Highway 1 today. According to Taiwan’s National Highway Police Bureau, a 47-year-old man, named Wu, was driving a light truck when he hit a highway maintenance anti-collision trailer in the fast lane of the southbound lanes in Miaoli County at around
Read moreGiant lithium battery unit on fire after truck overturns in southern Taiwan
A solar energy storage unit consisting of thousands of lithium batteries caught fire in the early hours of the morning after emitting smoke for more than 12 hours following a truck accident in Yunlin County yesterday, January 6. Yunlin County Fire Department received reports of a large truck overturning on a County Road 145B below the Huwei Interchange on National Highway One at around 1:00 pm , yesterday. The overturned truck was carrying solar power storage units, and white smoke
Read moreSpanish national studying in Taiwan dies after elephant attack in Thailand
A Spanish woman on a student exchange program in Taiwan died after being gored by an elephant while on vacation in Thailand, it was reported today, January 6. 22-year-old Blanca Ojanguren Garcia died after being attacked by an elephant at the Koh Yao Elephant Care Center in Phang Nga province, on January 3, according to Channel News Asia. Garcia was a student of law and international relations at the University of Navarra, and was currently on a six-month exchange program
Read moreUndersea cables off north coast of Taiwan damaged by African-flagged cargo ship with Chinese name
According to Chunghwa Telecom, four cores of the international submarine cable were damaged at a point off the coast at Yehliu, New Taipei City, at 7:45 am on January 3. Taiwan’s National Coast Guard Administration identified a Cameroon-registered cargo ship Shunxin 39 (MMSI677087200) as being suspected of being responsible for the incident. The ship was ordered to return to waters in the vicinity of the Port of Keelung to be investigated. Coast guard officers were not able to board the
Read moreFour injured crew airlifted from crippled cargo ship after fire in engine room
Taiwan’s National Airborne Service Corps (NASC) used a helicopter to airlift four crew members from a cargo vessel off Taiwan’s south coast last night after they sustained injuries when a fire broke out in the ship’s engine room. According to reports, Taiwan’s National Search and Rescue Center received a mayday call from the Marshall Islands-flagged ship Panoria at around 5:00 pm Saturday, January 4. The ship was located 23 nautical miles off the coast of Pingtung County and was reported
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