Hiking group attacked by hornets: 5 airlifted to hospital

NASC black hawk helicopter and ambulance

January 13, 2022January 13, 2022 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment hornet attack, Hualien County, mountain rescue

Five members of a hiking group were airlifted to hospital after they were stung by hornets in a mountain district of Hualien County today, Thursday. The 11-member group had just departed on the first day of a planned 3-day hike to Dahui Mountain, and Nanerzi Mountain when the hornet attack occurred at around 11:00 am, 3.5 kilometers from the carpark at the trailhead near Xilin Village, Wanrong Township. The team leader used a satellite phone to make contact with emergency

personal covid protection cocoon on plane

Odd News

January 12, 2022January 13, 2022 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment China, COVID-19, mass formation psychosis, popular delusions and the madness of crowds, stupid people

Fellow passengers barely batted an eyelid when a man made an improvised social isolation tent to protect himself and his companions from possible viral infection on a flight from Los Angeles to Guangzhou, China, according to reports from Taiwan news outlets. The reports came after a Chinese citizen uploaded a picture of the incident on social media site Weibo. The picture was said to be taken on Monday, January 10. In the picture it can be seen that the passenger

composite image of gravel truck with trailer wheels in air

Traffic Accidents

January 12, 2022January 12, 2022 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Changhua County, gravel-truck, National Freeway

The driver of a gravel truck managed to avoid colliding with a car on National Highway 1 yesterday, but almost tipped his truck over in the process. A dashcam video uploaded to the PTT Bulletin Board quickly went viral today, drawing praise for the driver of the gravel truck, and condemnation for the driver of a black Volvo who cut across from the fast lane to reach a freeway exit ramp in Changhua County at 8:00 am, Tuesday. The gravel

Traffic Accidents

January 12, 2022January 12, 2022 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Hualien County, motorcycle accident, suhua highway

A man was found dead on a beach 150 meters below his smashed motorcycle on the Su’ao-Hualien Highway this morning, January 12. According to reports in Apple Daily, and United Daily News, the 19-year-old man, named Lin, was driving from Hsinchu to his family’s home in Hualien yesterday evening, but did not show up at the expected time. Lin’s last contact was at 8:00 pm, when he said he had reached Heping Village. Early this morning, road maintenance workers called

Military Affairs

January 11, 2022January 12, 2022 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment air-force, Chiayi County, f-16, plane crash

An ROC Air Force F-16V fighter aircraft crashed into the sea off the coast of Chiayi County, according reports this afternoon, Tuesday, January 11. The single-seat F-16V No.6650 was conducting air-to-ground bombing training when it crashed into the sear near Dongshi Township at 3:23 pm. Coast Guard vessels and two military helicopters were immediately dispatched to search for the 28-year-old pilot, Captain Chen Yi. Air Force Command stated in a press release this afternoon that the fighter jet No. 6650

Fire

January 10, 2022January 10, 2022 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Changhua County, factory fire

A factory producing plastic foam flooring material was completely razed to the ground after what firefighters described as a “violent fire” in Changhua County today, December 10. Changhua County Fire Department received reports of the fire in Renli Village, Tianwei Township, at 2:07 pm. The fire department dispatched teams from six fire stations, with a total of 33 fire trucks and 69 personnel to battle the blaze. A large quantity of flammable plastic and petrochemical raw materials, combined with windy

Traffic Accidents

January 10, 2022January 10, 2022 Phillip Charlier 1 Comment freeway accident, Kaohsiung City, National Freeway, truck-accident

A female passenger in a car was killed instantly, and the driver was injured, after a wheel fell off a truck and bounced into oncoming traffic on National Highway 3 in Kaohsiung City today, December 10. According to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, a semitrailer carrying recyclable materials was travelling southbound when a left rear wheel disconnected from the trailer, and bounced into the northbound lanes at the 384.8 kilometer mark, at around 12:50 pm. The wheel hit a pick-up truck

Society

January 10, 2022January 10, 2022 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment population

The Ministry of the Interior today released population statistics for 2021, showing that Taiwan’s population continued to decline, following the first fall in population in 2020. The MOI figures show that there were 153,820 births in 2021, a record low, and a total of 182,732 deaths. The number of deaths surpassed the number of births by 29,912. In the month of December, there were 14,127 births, and 15,739 deaths, with deaths exceeding births by 1,612. The statistics also showed that

Society

January 8, 2022January 8, 2022 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment gravel-truck, Kaohsiung City, police-chase

Police fired at a gravel truck’s tires, after the driver refused to stop for a roadside inspection, attempted to ram a police motor scooter, and took to the freeway in an attempt to escape, in Kaohsiung City today, December 8. Two officers from the Gangshan Police station stopped a gravel truck suspected to be overloaded near the Yanchao Interchange in Renwu District at around 10:30 am. However, the 38-year-old driver, named Lu, suddenly attempted to ram one of the police

Health and Safety

January 8, 2022January 8, 2022 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment drunk driving, New Taipei City, workplace-safety

Two men who were drunk by lunchtime on separate construction sites in New Taipei City were arrested for drunk driving yesterday, Friday, December 7. Shortly after noon, police in Tamsui District stopped a man driving a forklift to check if he had a permit to drive the vehicle on a public road. The 63-year-old driver, named Lan, did not have a permit, and police noticed that Lan reeked of alcohol. An alcohol breath test revealed that Lan had a blood

cars suspended in midair and leaning against each other

Traffic Accidents

January 6, 2022January 6, 2022 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Chiayi County

A bizarre car accident saw two cars form an inverted V shape after a collision in Chiayi County this morning, January 6. According to reports, a driver parked his car on the side of the narrow rural road in Shanzhong Village shortly after 8:00 am. While the man was picking rapeseed in the adjacent field, the driver of another car rear-ended the parked vehicle. The impact pushed the parked car against a utility pole, and both vehicles were left with

Hiking group attacked by hornets: 5 airlifted to hospital

Viral madness: passenger makes self-protective COVID cocoon on long-haul flight

Gravel truck driver narrowly avoids plowing into car, rolling over on freeway

Motorcyclist dies after crashing, falling down 150-meter cliff on coastal highway

Air force F-16V fighter reported to have crashed at sea

Factory destroyed by violent fire in Changhua County

1 dead, 1 injured after wheel falls off truck on freeway

Taiwan’s population decreased in 2021 for second year in a row

Police fire 4 shots chasing gravel truck in Kaohsiung City

Drinking on construction sites leads to 2 separate drunk driving arrests in one day in New Taipei City

Strange car formation spotted in Chiayi County