New Taipei City

Electric bicycle vendor charged for negligent homicide after battery explosion leads to death of elderly woman

tricycle after battery fire
Health and Safety 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

An electric bicycle vendor in New Taipei City has been indicted on charges of negligent homicide, after an investigation into the death of an elderly woman who was seriously injured when a lithium-ion battery exploded under the seat of a tricycle she was riding earlier this year. According to the investigation by the New Taipei District Prosecutor’s Office, a man named Chen purchased an electric tricycle from a vendor at the Chongxin Bridge Flea Market in Sanchong District on December

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Driver dies, bleach spills on road after chemical tanker crash on coastal highway

Overturned chemical tanker and bleach on road
Traffic Accidents 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

The driver of a chemical truck died, and a large amount of bleach was spilled on the road, after the truck crashed and overturned on Provincial Highway 2 in New Taipei City this morning. The New Taipei City Fire Department received reports of a crash and chemical spill on the coastal highway in Gongliao District at 10:44 am. NTCFD dispatched 24 vehicles and 40 personnel to the scene of the accident. After identifying the spilled chemical as sodium hypochlorite (bleach),

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Hornets nest removed after 4 hikers stung in New Taipei City mountain district

Asian giant hornets and nest
Animals Health and Safety 
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Specialist hornet catchers removed a nest of Asian Giant Hornets, after five hikers were stung in New Taipei City’s Ruifang District today. Keelung City Fire Department received a report at 10:46 am that three men and one woman were stung by hornets near the Tianwaitian Garden Cemetery. A 70-year-old man, a 64-year-old man, and a 60-year-old woman were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. A 69-year-old man sought medical treatment on his own. The female hiker, named Liu was the

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Hornet attack on hiking group leaves 2 dead, 9 injured

line of ambulances waiting for sting victims
Animals Health and Safety 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Eleven people in a group of 20 hikers were stung by hornets in New Taipei City’s Ruifang District today, and four people were seriously injured. Two men lost vital signs and were declared dead after arrival at the hospital. The New Taipei City Fire Department received reports of the hornet attack at 11:38 am. Twenty ambulances and 51 personnel were dispatched to the trailhead. A command post was set up at the trailhead, and a rescue team was sent to

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Electric buses to replace diesel burners on Tamsui – Banqiao bus route from tomorrow

Foxtron electric bus Model T
Business and Economy 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Thirteen new electric buses will join New Taipei City’s public transportation fleet tomorrow, plying route 857 between Banqiao and Tamsui districts. Sanchung Bus Company said that 13 buses on the company’s cross-district trunk line will be replaced by Foxtron Model T electric buses. The Taiwan designed and manufactured buses were first launched in Kaohsiung City in March last year. The 857 route will be the first time the Model T is used in northern Taiwan. The Model T has a

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South African national fined for riding YouBike on freeway

woman on YouBike on National Highway 1 in New Taipei City
Odd News 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A South African national was fined for riding a bicycle on National Highway 1 in New Taipei City last week, after she was allegedly guided onto the freeway by her smartphone. Police received reports of a woman seen riding a bicycle on the freeway headed northbound between Linkou and Wugu on Tuesday, June 27, at around 7:00 pm, A 24-year-old South African resident was stopped by police around 10 minutes later. The police officers took the errant cyclist back to

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Gunman opens fire with submachine gun in broad daylight in New Taipei City: rival gang factions in dispute

gunman fires submachine gun in front of shocked onlookers
Crime and Criminals 
Phillip Charlier 2 Comments , , , , ,

A dispute between two factions of the Bamboo Union saw 11 shots fired in anger in Banqiao District yesterday, and 42 shots blasted into a pawn shop door using a submachine gun in Tucheng District this morning, April 20. In the early hours of the morning Wednesday, April 20, a teenage suspect, named Wu, and a 24-year-old man, named Lin, met to negotiate with a 20-year-old man, named Hsu, and a 19-year-old, named Hsueh, in a parking lot in Zhongshan

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Two Belgian tourists injured in cycling accident in north coast mountain district

Paramedics tend to injured cyclists who tumbled into streambed
Traffic Accidents 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Two Belgian men were injured after crashing their bicycles on a downhill section of a mountain road in Wanli District, New Taipei City, yesterday, Sunday, April 16. According to Taiwanese media outlet SETN, the two men were part of a group of four cyclists riding on a downhill section of the Pingding Mountain Road when they crashed into a bridge pier. One of the men flew over the guardrail and fell into a streambed around 4 meters below the road.

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Smartphone app helps save motorcyclist seriously injured in crash

composite image showing crashed scooter and crash detection app on smartphone
Traffic Accidents 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment ,

Paramedics rushed an unconscious man to hospital after his iPhone crash detection app called emergency services following a motorcycle accident in New Taipei City early yesterday morning, April 6. According to a United Daily News report, the 53-year-old bus driver, named Zheng, was riding a motor scooter to work when he crashed into a traffic island on Hecheng Road in Zhonghe District at around 5:10 am. Zheng was seriously injured and unconscious following the accident. Fortunately, his iPhone crash detection

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