Disaster

Magnitude 6.0 Earthquake Rocks Taiwan’s East Coast

Earthquake 97 recorded in Taitung (Taidong) magnitude 6
Earthquakes 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

A magnitude 6 earthquake centered 30.8 kilometers east-south-east of Taitung(Taidong) City, Taiwan, awoke residents in Taitung City and County at 11:51pm, October 6, 2016. Residents of Green Island felt it as a magnitude 5, while the rest of Taitung County felt it as a level 4. The tremblor was felt as far away as Taipei City. People in Taitung commented on how long the shaking continued. One resident in Taipei, where the earthquake only registered as a level 1, said

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Rock-slide on Southern Cross-Island Highway

A rockslide blocks the Southern Cross-Island Highway in Taiwan
Disaster 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A rock-slide on the Southern Cross Island Highway this afternoon destroyed a rockfall-protection tunnel, and will probably delay re-opening of the road, after recent typhoon damage caused it to be closed to traffic. Road repair crews working in the tunnel managed to escape as falling rocks warned them of the impending disaster. The tunnel, located at the 184 kilometer mark at Liukuo Hot Springs in Taitung County, was due to be cleared by November. At around 3:00pm rocks began falling.

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Taiwan Tour Group Hit by Landslide: One Dead

bus hit by landslide
Disaster 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment

A bus carrying a tour group from Taiwan was hit by a landslide in Fujian Province, China, this morning August 13. Twenty-two of the 23 people on board managed to escape through an emergency exit in the roof. A middle-aged Taiwanese woman died at the scene, and 12 are injured, including 2 seriously. At 10:43am this morning, the bus was traveling through Yongding District when the landslide caused by heavy rains hit the bus and flipped it over. Local villagers

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American Ship Catches Fire in Kaohsiung Harbor

The American Eagle, fishing vessel on fire in Kaohsiung Harbor
Fire Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

An American-flagged fishing vessel caught fire while docked in Kaohsiung harbor today, August 4, 2016. Nine fire trucks and two fire boats were dispatched to deal with the blaze. At 3:13pm, thick smoke and flames erupted from behind the bridge of the 258.4 foot American Eagle. The flames spread to the bridge, but fortunately nobody was trapped on the vessel and no casualties were reported. The cause of the fire is being investigated. It took firefighters more than an hour

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Driver Suspected of Mass Murder-Suicide Allegedly Faced Jail term for Sexual Assault

A tourist coach after all passengers were killed with the driver and tour guide aboard in a tragic fire July 19, 2016 in Taiwan
Disaster 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment

The plot thickened today in an investigation into a tragic fire that killed 26 people traveling on a coach in Taiwan July 19, 2016. Yesterday, a forensics report found that the driver, Su Ming-cheng (蘇明成) had been driving drunk, and had stored 5 bottles of gasoline in the drivers compartment. Investigators began considering the possibility that the event may have been a murder-suicide. Apple Daily reports that a tour guide who previously worked with the bus driver recognized him after

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Driver Suspected of Deliberately Setting Bus on Fire

Fire 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment

The driver of a tourist coach that caught fire on National Freeway 2, killing all 26 people on board, is suspected of having been driving under the influence of alcohol, and deliberately setting himself and the coach on fire. A forensic report released today states that alcohol was found in the stomach, blood, and urine of the bus driver at a level of 1.07 milligrams per liter. The report also states that the driver’s compartment contained several containers of gasoline,

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Train Bomber Speaks: Underestimated Power of Bomb

the aftermath of an explosion on a train in Taipei July 7 2016
Disaster 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment ,

A man who detonated a bomb on a commuter train in Taipei July 7 has been able to talk to police after being taken out of critical care. Lin Ying-chang, 55, told police he made the bomb using principles he had learned playing with matches as a child. He said he bought firecrackers and used scissors to cut them open to remove the gunpowder. He made the detonation device using the scratch-pad of a matchbox and a match head, which

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Train Bomb Suspect Identified

A man suspected as responsible for an explosion on a train is seen shortly after the blast
Disaster 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment

A suspect has been identified after DNA analysis of materials believed to have been used to make an explosive device were matched with one of the injured passengers currently hospitalized after a blast on a commuter train in Taipei City. Eyewitness reports and fingerprints found on the device also point to the suspect, 55 year-old Lin Ying-chang. Mr Lin appears to have been holding what has been described as a pipe-bomb when it exploded in car six. Twenty-five people, including

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Breaking News: Explosion on Taipei Train: 24 People Injured

a man receiving first aid at Songshan Train Station
Disaster 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment

An explosion on a train on a train traveling between Taipei Main Station and Songshan Station has left 24 people injured, one in a critical condition. Passengers reported hearing an explosion at 9.52PM. Car six of the northbound train traveling from Hsinchu to Keelung pulled into Songshan Station on fire. At the present time, 24 people have been reported injured, with 21 hospitalized. The cause of the explosion and fire is being investigated. Early reports pointed to a possible malfunction

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Storms, Hail, and Tornadoes Sweep Jiangsu Province: 78 Dead

A village destroyed in a storm June 23, 2016 in Jiangsu Province
Disaster 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Whole villages were flattened when severe electrical storms brought lightening, hail, gale-force winds, and tornadoes to China’s Jiangsu Province this afternoon. Collapsed buildings, blocked roads, and extensive damage to infrastructure and agricultural production has been reported. The extent of the damage is still being assessed. The death toll at 10:00PM stood at 78, while over 500 were reported injured. Natural disaster emergency management ordinances have been put into effect by the provincial government. A villager reported that the sky turned

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Girl Found Alive After Flash Flood Four Dead, One Still Missing

A girl is rescued after flash flood
Disaster 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A 15 year old girl survived a flash flood after a group of six people on a river tracing expedition were caught by a flash flood in the Pinglin District of New Taipei City yesterday. The girl managed to survive by clinging to a piece of driftwood. She spent the night resting on a rock. At dawn, the river level had fallen enough for her to wade to shore, where she approached the home of a resident, who called authorities.

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