One worker critical in Minquan Bridge construction accident

Taipei, Feb. 24 (CNA) Two workers were rescued from a vehicle that fell into a river at a construction site near Minquan Bridge in Taipei on Tuesday afternoon, leaving one without vital signs, authorities said.

The incident occurred at around 1 p.m. near the No. 6 watergate on the Keelung River by Yingfeng Riverside Park, when the vehicle returned to the site after a lunch break and was parking.

The victims, a 50-year-old woman and her 59-year-old husband, both Taiwanese and assisting a painting contractor, were driving a personal small vehicle when it went into the river for reasons that remain under investigation, according to the city's Public Works Department, the manager of the reconstruction project.

Firefighters and other construction personnel immediately launched a rescue operation using a lifeboat at the site.

The woman was conscious when rescued, while the man was in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and was rushed to a hospital, where medical staff continued resuscitation efforts.

The Taipei City Department of Labor said it has dispatched personnel to the site to conduct a labor inspection and assess safety compliance, adding that the exact cause of the accident remains under investigation.

Preliminary findings indicate that although the incident occurred outside active work hours, it took place within the construction zone, and authorities will assess environmental hazards and ensure site safety while clarifying responsibility, the labor department said.

The construction project aims to address structural aging and surface settlement on the old bridge. Work resumed on Tuesday, the second day after the Lunar New Year holiday, and is scheduled to be completed later this year, according to the Public Works Department.