Taiwan Today

Rescuers are working to free 127 motorists stranded by mudslides and torrential rains on the Suao-Hualien Highway in eastern Taiwan, according to a statement issued at 7:00 p.m. Oct. 22 by the Central Emergency Operations Center. The CEOC said rescue efforts will continue throughout the night, with the motorists expected to be freed by tomorrow morning. Despite heavy rain and gusting winds, three helicopters operated by the National Airborne Service Corps have ferried 273 people to safety from the dangerous stretch of highway to nearby hospitals and temporary shelters. The highway has been cut off since the evening of Oct. 21 after landslides triggered by Typhoon Megi destroyed parts of the road. Four hundred passengers in 32 vehicles--mostly tourists from mainland China--became trapped, officials said. “Military special forces and rescue teams from the National Fire Agency and the ROC Red Cross have worked overnight to reach the passengers and provide them with food and warm clothing,” said Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah at a news conference earlier in the day. Jiang is acting as incident commander at the CEOC. “Landslides have occurred at several locations between the 113- and 116-kilometer marks on the highway,” said Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo, who has been on site since the morning of Oct. 22. Several buses are waiting near the scene to transport nearly 200 passengers who remain trapped to safety in nearby Su-ao, Mao added. Over 3,000 rescue and support personnel from the ROC military and other agencies have engaged in rescue missions at the sites of landslides and floods caused by Typhoon Megi, according to the NFA. Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense has seven helicopters at various airports standing ready to assist. In preparation for the typhoon's arrival, over 650 water pumps were delivered to local governments and river administrations across the island, according to a press release from the Water Resources Agency, which added that 20 pumps were rushed to Yilan County as soon as flooding began Oct. 21. Typhoon Megi and its associated rains dumped a record amount of over 1,100 millimeters of rain in the northeastern county as of 12:00 p.m. Oct. 22. (THN)