Driver, passenger die after rockfall hits car in Miaoli

Taipei, Aug. 6 (CNA) Two men died after a sedan they were traveling in was hit by rocks on a county road in Miaoli County Wednesday, the local fire bureau said.

The 5th Fire Control and Rescue Group of the Miaoli County Fire Bureau said it received a report at 3:19 p.m. Wednesday about a red sedan being crushed by a rockfall on a section of County Highway 62-1 in Tai'an Township near Ching An Elementary School.

First responders arrived at the scene and spotted two men trapped and unresponsive in the badly damaged vehicle, half of which was under a huge boulder, the fire bureau said.

A man in the driver's seat was pulled out of the car first, but the 59-year-old man identified by his surnamed Tu (涂) was without vital signs and later pronounced dead at Da Shuen Hospital in neighboring Dahu Township, the fire bureau said.

The man in the passenger seat next to the driver suffered serious head injuries and was apparently dead at the scene, the fire bureau said.

Meanwhile, Miaoli County Police Bureau said the identity of the second man has yet to be confirmed.

According to Tai'an Township chief Chen Chi-chi (陳吉基), the deadly incident occurred following the return of sunny weather over the last two days, after the mountainous area was inundated with heavy rain for most of the past month.

The Miaoli County Transportation and Public Works Department has urged road users to exercise extra caution, as several days of rain have increased the risk of rockfalls -- especially along County Highway 62, which leads to the popular Tai'an Hot Springs tourist attraction.

Rockfalls are quite rare along County Highway 62-1, the department said, but road users should pay close attention when traveling to and from the mountainous area.