Taiwan airdrops supplies to mountain towns cut off by Typhoon Kong-rey

Taipei, Nov. 3 (CNA) Taiwan's government on Sunday airdropped relief supplies to over 50 residents of remote mountain towns, who have been stranded since landslides caused by Typhoon Kong-rey cut off access roads on Thursday.

According to Taroko National Park Headquarters, the cut off residents, who also have no power or phone service, are located in small communities along the Central Cross-Island Highway between Hehuanshan and Tianxiang Recreation Area.

The National Air Service Corps' (NASC) Hualien-based Third Branch, First Brigade said it received a request Saturday night to deliver supplies to around 50 residents who remain stranded in Xibao and Luoshao villages, both in Xiulin Township.

Following the request, the NASC said it dispatched a Black Hawk helicopter at 8 a.m. Sunday from a staging area at Hualien Baseball Stadium, which first dropped 407 kilograms of relief supplies at Xibao Elementary School.

After dropping another 321 kg of supplies in the Luoshao area at 9:28 a.m., the helicopter returned to base at Hualien Airport, the NASC said.

As of Saturday night, road maintenance crews had been unable to access, and had no schedule for reopening a total of 13 kilometers of road on the Central Cross-Island Highway between Dayuling and Tianxiang, and Tianxiang and Gekou, according to the Highway Bureau.