Huge boulders fall onto coastal road, narrowly missing passing cars and pedestrians

Several large boulders fell onto a scenic coastal road and in Keelung City this afternoon, but fortunately did not hit any passing cars or pedestrians.

Four boulders, the largest weighing an estimated 40 tons, fell onto the Waimushan section of Anzhong Industrial Road in Zhongshan District at around 1:00 pm. The boulders narrowly missed cars and pedestrians, and Firefighters arrived at the scene to find that nobody had been injured.

However, the rockfall blocked the road in both directions.

One witness quoted by United Daily News said that he heard a loud sound and thought it was a low-flying helicopter before he looked up and saw the boulders hurtling down the steep mountain side onto the road below. Another man, the driver of a compact car, said that he had just stopped to buy coffee and noticed everybody looking in the direction he had just come from. It’s only when he got out of his car that he realized that he had just had a narrow escape.

Police arrived on the scene and blocked traffic from either direction, while the Keelung City Municipal Works Bureau arranged for contractors to clear the rocks from the road.

The rockfall follows several days of heavy rain in the area.

boulders on road at Waimushan
Picture from Keelung residents Facebook group.
Scenic coastal drive or walk at Waimushan
Scenic coastal drive or walk at Waimushan, straddling Wanli District, New Taipei City, and Zhongshan District, Keelung City.
boulders near top of peak above road
Boulders near peak. From Google maps.
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