Pileup on National Freeway No. 1 in Miaoli kills 1, injures 7

Taipei, July 28 (CNA) A pileup involving nine vehicles, including a truck, on National Freeway No. 1 in Miaoli County late Sunday left one person dead and seven others with minor injuries, local authorities said Monday.

The Miaoli County Fire Bureau said it dispatched first responders after receiving a report about the deadly traffic accident at the 136-kilometer mark on the northbound section of the freeway shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday.

Amid thunderstorms that hit Miaoli on Sunday evening, first responders helped free passengers trapped in badly damaged vehicles, including a 51-year-old woman surnamed Fang (方), who showed no signs of life when rescued and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Seven others sustained minor injuries and were also taken to the hospital, the fire bureau said.

The accident occurred after an SUV driven by a 40-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙) skidded in the rain, said Chou Yu-tai (周祐台), head of the Zaociao Branch of the National Highway Police Bureau's Second Police Brigade, in a recorded message released to the press Monday.

The SUV first hit a roadside barrier, then bounced off the one on the opposite side of the road before coming to a complete stop in the inside lanes, where it was struck by eight other vehicles, police said.

All drivers involved in the accident passed sobriety tests, and the scene was cleared at 12:59 a.m. Monday, according to police.