Hualien County

Drunk driver slightly injured after crashing into east coast express train

damaged car after hitting train
Traffic Accidents 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

A man driving while over the legal alcohol limit crashed into an express train on a level crossing in Hualien County this morning, but fortunately nobody on board the train was injured. According to reports, the Taroko Express train #401 bound for Taipei from Taitung City was passing through a level crossing in Xiulin Township at 6:44 am when a white sedan crashed into the third and fourth cars of the train. The driver of the car, named Lin, suffered

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Bus involved in fatal accident was traveling 30kph over speed limit

bus straddling ravine following collision
Traffic Accidents 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Both drivers involved in a collision were at fault, according to an investigation into an accident on Taiwan’s east coast that left one dead and four injured Saturday, April 8. According to the police investigation, at around 7:40 am, Saturday, the driver of an SUV executed an illegal left turn over double-yellow lines at the entrance to a camping area on Highway 11 in Fengbin Township, Hualien County. A bus slammed into the SUV before careering off the road and

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Taiwanese combatant in Ukraine confirmed to have died in battle

composite image showing Taiwanese volunteer in Ukraine International Legion and patch combining ROC Taiwan and Ukrainian flag
International 
Phillip Charlier 3 Comments , ,

Tseng Sheng-kuang (曾聖光), a 25-year-old Taiwanese man who enlisted in the International Legion of Ukraine’s territorial defense forces died in battle on Wednesday, November 2, it has been confirmed by the man’s family in Taiwan, and Ukrainian authorities, after reports began to circulate on social media platforms yesterday. Tseng’s wife, Huang Li-chen (黃麗珍), told Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) Friday evening that she received a message from her husband’s comrade that Tseng had died due to excessive blood loss after

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148 schools report damage after 6.4, 6.8 magnitude quakes strike Taiwan

damaged elementary school after earthquake
Earthquakes 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Taiwan’s Ministry of Education reported that 148 schools around the country had reported damage after a series of earthquakes struck the east coast over the weekend, with two quakes over magnitude 6. More than 140 earthquakes have shaken Taiwan since the first, a magnitude 6.4 tremblor, struck in the north of Taitung County Saturday evening. More than 70 aftershocks were felt Saturday night and Sunday before a destructive 6.8 magnitude quake struck in Chishang Township at 2:44 pm. As of

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4 people rescued from collapsed building after destructive earthquake strikes eastern Taiwan

composite image showing collapsed building and person rescued
Earthquakes 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

Firefighters in Hualien County successfully located and extracted four injured people after a building collapsed when a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck the area today, Sunday, September 18. Hualien County Fire Department sent a search and rescue team to the scene of the disaster in Yuli township after receiving reports that a three-storey mixed commercial and residential building collapsed after the earthquake struck at 2:44 pm. Staff and customers of a 7-11 convenience store on the first floor had all evacuated the

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Grieving migrant worker forcefully restrained after escaping from quarantine hotel

man wrapped in bedsheet stands off with police in carpark
Society 
Phillip Charlier 2 Comments , , ,

A migrant worker was sprayed with pepper spray and restrained by police and paramedics after he jumped from the third floor of a quarantine hotel in Hualien County yesterday, after receiving news that his mother had died. According to reports, the 29-year-old Indonesian national had been staying in the quarantine hotel after testing positive for COVID-19, and was due to return to work today, May 10. However, on the morning of May 9, the man received news of his mothers

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Single-vehicle crash on east coast highway leaves 3 dead, 2 injured

vehicle wrapped around tree
Traffic Accidents 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

Three people died and two were injured in a single-vehicle high-speed crash on the Xincheng section of Highway 9 in Hualien County this morning, February 19. According to reports, a car carrying 5 people went out of control while overtaking a gravel truck and slammed into a tree at high speed at around 10:00 am. Firefighters used hydraulic cutting equipment to cut the occupants out of the mangled wreck of the vehicle. Three people lost vital signs at the scene

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Two whale watching boats destroyed by fire in Hualien County port

whale watching boats on fire
Fire 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

Two whale watching boats docked at a port in Hualien County were completely destroyed after a fire broke out in the early hours of the morning today, January 17. The vessel “Sea Whale No.1” caught fire at around 3:30 am at Shiti Port in Fengbin Township. Coast Guard officers attempted to put out the fire using fire extinguishers, but were not able to bring the fire under control. Hualien County Fire Department dispatched three vehicles and four personnel to the

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Hiking group attacked by hornets: 5 airlifted to hospital

NASC black hawk helicopter and ambulance
Health and Safety 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

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

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

composite image of motorcycle and cliff
Traffic Accidents 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

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

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Taiwan’s first earthquake for 2022 a magnitude 6: some minor damage, no casualties reported

earthquake report 001 2022
Earthquakes 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Rockfalls, minor damage to some buildings, and power and water cuts were reported after a magnitude 6 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County this evening, Monday, January 3. The tremblor struck at 5:46 pm, 56.7 kilometers east of Hualien County Hall at a depth of 19.4 kilometers, according to Earthquake Report 001 of the Central Weather Bureau, marking the first recorded earthquake for 2022. With a magnitude of 6 at the epicenter, the strongest level felt on land

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