Taipei manhole cover blown off, causing flat tires in 3 vehicles

Taipei, June 7 (CNA) A manhole cover on a Taipei road was blown off during a heavy downpour Sunday, leaving a hole in the roadway that caused flat tires in three passing vehicles, though no injuries were reported, according to the Taipei City Office of Disaster Management.

Police responding to the scene on Section 1 of Huanhe North Road found that intense rainfall created a sudden build up of pressure under the manhole cover that caused it to be blown off, the office said in a notice.

Three vehicles sustained flat tires after driving over the resulting hole in the road surface, it said.

The city's Sewerage Systems Office replaced the manhole cover at 4:36 p.m., and police left the scene after confirming traffic had returned to normal, according to the office.

Meanwhile, police were also dispatched to Bailing Bridge after a member of the public reported through the city's 1999 hotline that floodwater on the roadway had reached tire level. Responders later confirmed that the flooding had subsided and traffic was flowing normally.

The office said the city's Hydraulic Engineering Office activated a monitoring team at 1 p.m. and placed a mobile water pump on standby for emergency response.

In addition, an emergency response team was established after rainfall exceeded 40 millimeters in Taipei's Zhongzheng, Shilin, Beitou, Datong and Wanhua districts to coordinate cross-agency disaster response efforts, the office said.