Thai 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

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Serial 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

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Fear 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

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No 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

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Giant 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

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Spanish 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

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Undersea 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

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Four 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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9 dead after fire engulfs warehouse in Taichung City

Nine people were found dead and 7 were injured after a fire engulfed a warehouse under construction in Taichung City yesterday, Thursday, December 19. Taichung City Fire Department received reports of a fire at the 8,692-square-meter warehouse on Shatin Road, Dadu District at around 1:25 pm. Firefighters rescued 14 people trapped in the building. Some were rescued from balconies using a ladder truck. Five deceased workers were found on the third floor mezzanine, not far from an exit. It is

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5 people injured in 2 separate car crashes involving “zombie drug” in Kaohsiung City last night

Two separate incidents involving drivers suspected to be under the influence of the drug etomidate left five people injured, including two police officers, in Kaohsiung City overnight. Suspected drug driver knocks down scooters, injuring 2 According to reports, two women were injured when a car suddenly veered to the right and crashed into motor scooters parked on the roadside on Qingnian Road in Fengshan District at around 9:00pm. Police witnessed the incident and responded immediately. The 41-year-old driver, named Liu,

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2 injured after light aircraft crash in southern Taiwan

Two people suffered injuries after a light airplane crashed shortly after take-off from an airfield in Pingtung County yesterday, Monday, December 9. Pingtung County Fire Department said they received reports that a light aircraft had crashed near an airfield in Gaoshu Township at 10:55 am. Six vehicles and 13 personnel were dispatched to deal with the incident. Firefighters found two people trapped in the wreckage of the aircraft. Both occupants were conscious. A 54-year-old female passenger suffered a head laceration

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