Emergency operation centers set up for traffic incident in New Taipei

Taipei, May 19 (CNA) The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) said Monday that it has set up two emergency operation centers aimed at dealing with the aftermath of a deadly traffic incident in New Taipei's Sanxia District, killing at least three pedestrians and leaving 13 injured.

Speaking with reporters, Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said one emergency operation center was established at the headquarters of the Highway Bureau in Taipei and the other was set up in the Taipei Motor Vehicles Office.

Chen will supervise the emergency operation centers all day Tuesday to deal with the aftermath of the incident and cancel his original schedule, the MOTC said.

According to the ministry, soon after the incident took place, it contacted the New Taipei City government for a better understanding of the situation and to determine if the local government requires any assistance.

Meanwhile, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) was shocked and deeply saddened upon hearing the deadly incident.

President Lai immediately instructed the Executive Yuan to establish a task force to closely monitor the situation, coordinate medical resources, and fully commit to rescuing the injured and assisting their families, she said, adding that the president also urged a prompt investigation into the cause of the incident.

Lai and Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) each visited three hospitals to visit the injured on Monday evening. They both instructed the hospitals to provide the best possible care and treatment.

The incident happened at around 4 p.m. when a car rammed into pedestrians as they crossed at an intersection zebra crossing near Bei Da Elementary School, killing three people and injuring 13 others, including the driver of the vehicle, according to the New Taipei Education Department.

Of the three people who died, two were female students in their teens and the other was a woman in her 40s, local police and fire officials said.

The MOTC said that the driver, surnamed Yu (余), 78, passed a test designated for seniors to get his license renewed on Feb. 20 and his new license is valid until Feb, 19, 2028.

Yu's car was rolled out in March 2003 and its next road worthiness inspection is scheduled for Sept. 30, the MOTC said. Yu bought mandatory insurance for the car, which expires on April 29, 2026, according to the ministry.

The MOTC also said it will help the New Taipei City government to determine the cause of the accident.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said it has confirmed with the city government that first aid medical resources in the city are sufficient to take care of those injured in the incident, while the ministry will set up a communication platform in a bid to provide necessary assistance to the city's health department.