Part of Elephant Trunk Rock collapses into the sea

New Taipei, Dec. 16 (CNA) Part of the Elephant Trunk Rock, a famous rock formation situated on Taiwan's northeast coast, collapsed into the sea on Saturday, due to strong waves and winds, according to New Taipei's Ruifang District Office.

Yang Sheng-min (楊勝閔), head of the district office, told CNA he received a report that part of the rock formation had fallen into the sea at 1:55 p.m. Saturday.

As the winds and waves were really strong in the afternoon, the partial collapse was likely caused by the weather conditions, as well as long-term seawater erosion, Yang said.

Elephant Trunk Rock has been a popular tourist attraction for many years and was a popular location for selfies.

To protect the special geographic landscape, the district office set up a warning line around the area in 2020 to prevent visitors from climbing onto the rock formation.

The area is currently cordoned off.

Meanwhile, in response to the incident, New Taipei's Tourism and Travel Department said it has already received a report about the incident, and urged members of the public to stay away from the rock formation for their own safety.