Truck driver walks away mostly unscathed after Miaoli rockslide

Truck driver walks away mostly unscathed after Miaoli rockslide

2026-07-14

Last weekend all of Taiwan was drenched by typhoon rains, and Monday this week it was raining rocks in Miaoli’s Dahu Township. On July 13 at night, a landslide of boulders came rumbling down the mountainside, pinning a truck against the guardrail of Miaoli Route 62. The lucky truck driver was somehow able to walk away mostly unscathed, yet problems remain for Miaoli County government, which still needs to fix the road.

This surveillance camera shows that a barrage of rocks of all sizes are falling down the hillside, but the feed got cut off, presumably by the landslide that came rumbling down and into the path of a truck driver surnamed Luo.

Voice of Mr. Luo
Truck driver
I suddenly heard the sounds of something rumbling and then everything went dark. Then it was just “boom, boom, boom,” that’s what it sounded like.

On July 13 at night, the 46-year-old driver was on his way to deliver goods when falling boulders pinned his truck against the guardrail. His vehicle’s exterior was twisted and crunched, but fortunately for the driver, he was able to walk away with just some skin abrasions.

Voice of Mr. Luo
Truck driver
I told myself then that my wife and child are at home waiting for me to come back. So I used my foot to kick open the door, and then I knew that I had to start running forward; if I didn’t start running, I was going to die.

Huang Hui-chin
Dahu Township chief
The driver, who must’ve been scared to death, was able to walk away with only some scrapes. He was asked if he wanted to go to the hospital, but he said he was okay. We went to the accident site this morning, and that’s when we discovered all the rocks on the mountainside had fallen down. There was probably 1,000 or 2,000 tons of rocks.

The section of Miaoli Route 62 that has boulders blocking both lanes is in Dahu Township’s Fuxing Village. This road is notorious for having incidences like this landslide after there are bouts of heavy rain. Miaoli Commissioner Chung Tung-chin suggested creating a shortcut road, but that all depends on the road’s repair budget, which will require financial assistance from the central government.

Chung Tung-chin
Miaoli Commissioner
In terms of making a shortcut road here, the cost of that will probably be quite substantial, so it’ll be difficult to do if only the county government has to pay for it. So, for this aspect, I hope that the central government can work with our 2 legislators to come to an agreement as soon as possible.

Dahu Township isn’t the only place in Miaoli dealing with a blocked road; students and workers in Nanzhuang Township’s Donghe Village have July 14 off due to a collapsed section of Miaoli Route 21. The sinkhole is directly in front of Shibi Bridge.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#Miaoli #rainingrocks #lanslide #truck #thatwasclose

"亂石大軍"攔路! 苗62線巨石砸貨車駕駛:以為難逃死劫

2026-07-14

苗栗大湖鄉，苗62線富興村炮石段，13日深夜，再度發生巨石塌落，把一輛正好經過的大貨車，擠壓到道路邊邊，車子全毀，還好駕駛命大只受擦挫傷!今天(14日)直擊坍塌現場，巨石陣長約百米，重達千噸，衝破邊坡，幸運逃過一劫的司機，接受電話採訪，驚魂未定表示，當時擔心自己躲不過死劫，幸好最後順利逃生!##

監視器畫面可以看到，車輛通行的時候，陸續都有大小石頭掉下來，後來大坍塌發生了，監視器因而斷電，斷訊所以沒拍到，一輛大貨車遭到亂石大軍襲擊!

[[聲源:羅姓駕駛]]
“突然聽到一些轟隆轟隆的聲音，然後就是昏天暗地，然後整個就是撞撞撞這樣子”

46歲羅姓駕駛，13日晚間開著大貨車要送貨，卻遇上亂石大軍，車子被擠到護欄邊，車體被石頭給擠得歪七扭八，還好人命大，只受皮肉傷。

[[聲源:羅姓駕駛]]
“那時候我只是跟自己講說，我家裡還有老婆小孩，我就用腳去踹車門，然後我就知道自己一定要往前跑，如果不往前跑，我一定會死掉”

[[大湖鄉長黃惠琴]]
“車上的人，走下來，也是嚇死了，皮肉傷啦，就問他說要不要到醫院，他說不用。早上我們來到現場，發現到整個山坡的大石頭掉下來，大概有一兩千噸”

大湖鄉富興村砲石段，超巨石佔據雙向車道，造成交通中斷。幾乎每逢大雨必有事的苗62線，這次又坍方，苗栗縣長鍾東錦勘災，提出"截彎取直"的改善方案，不過，礙於經費，需要中央協助。

[[苗栗縣長鍾東錦]]
“這一段的截彎取直，因為經費應該算是蠻龐大的，如果靠縣府真的是有困難，這個部分希望中央，在我們兩位委員的召集之下，是不是儘快來協商”

另外，南庄鄉東河村，因為苗21線，石壁橋橋頭路基淘空，影響通行，14日東河村停止上班上課。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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The Eight Generals are a common sight at temple festivals in Taiwan. To give people a better understanding of this unique performative culture, the Department of Chinese Literature at National Sun Yat-sen University organized a class with the Gushan鼓山 Jishengtang Eight Generals troupe in Kaohsiung. Seventeen participants learned everything from formations and steps, to face painting. At the end, they tested out their newfound skills in a live presentation.

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Most people misunderstand this culture and it tends to be quite stigmatized. But if you try it for yourself, you’ll find it’s totally different from what you imagined.

Hsu Wei-kai
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I’ve been interested in it since I was a kid, so I figured why not take the class and try it out? I think the hardest part is the doing the formations and the steps.

The Eight Generals are a common part of any temple festival in Taiwan, but they’ve gotten a bad reputation over the past few years. To reverse this stigma, the Department of Chinese Literature at National Sun Yat-sen University organized a class with the Gushan Jishengtang Eight Generals troupe. Seventeen participants learned everything from formations and steps to face painting, and at the end held their own performance.

Hsu Wei-chen
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The Chinese literature department happened to have a partnership with our temple. This was how I got the chance to take the class. I was determined to join, even though my parents didn’t approve. The formations, the face paint, the entire cultural context are all super interesting.

Lee Ting-yen
Participant
Becoming a troupe member has been a very new experience for me. Once you actually join, you’ll understand the meaning behind a certain movement.

Hsieh Hao-ting
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In our Jiali lineage, one main attribute is that we usually paint the face with solid blocks of color. Over in Chiayi, they’ll emphasize finer details and lines.

Charmed by the unique Eight Generals tradition, many students decided to formally join as troupe members. The class even attracted some foreign exchange students. There was even a Christian student who overcame religious limitations to experience it firsthand.

Chiu Shih-yuan
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This time was very special. We had a Christian student who joined to understand some of the body movements. There were some things, like the finer details, that the students couldn’t do perfectly, but I don’t think it matters that much.

Lo Ching-wen
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This time we had students from Malaysia and Hong Kong. Over six weeks, they learned about Taiwan’s Eight Generals culture, the history of Jishengtang, the face paint, and formations, as well as some rituals and taboos. Then for the main event, we went out and experienced holding our own performance.

Although it was only part of a class, every step was executed perfectly. The university hopes that the course will help people better understand this rich part of Taiwanese religious culture and ensure it’s passed down to future generations.

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Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#EightGenerals #templeculture #templefestival #folktradition #NSYSU #traditionalculture #temples

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Today, the military’s Joint Defense Exercise entered its second day, with training continuing across operational zones around Taiwan. In Taoyuan, the Army’s 601st Aviation Brigade deployed a Black Hawk helicopter in a simulated wartime fuel resupply mission when ground transportation is cut off. Meanwhile, Thunderbolt-2000 multiple launch rocket systems moved into position to rehearse suppressing enemy forces attempting a beach landing.

A Black Hawk helicopter zips across the sky on a tactical fuel bladder sling-load mission. It descends carefully until the fuel bladder is deposited on the ground as the rotor sends a cloud of dust in all directions, just like in a real battlefield.

Liao Wei-hung
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Today was Day 2 of the military’s joint defense drills, which saw a Black Hawk helicopter from the Army’s 601st Aviation Brigade simulate a fuel delivery in the field where other transport routes were cut off.

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Su Tzu-yun
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The Black Hawk provides forward support to deployed units, enhancing battlefield effectiveness and helping frontline forces maintain their firepower and their operational readiness.

Moments later, the Army’s 21st Artillery Command deploys two Thunderbolt-2000 rocket launch vehicles into firing positions. They’re armed with MK30 and MK45 medium- to long-range rockets ideal for anti-landing missions.

The five-day joint defense exercise kicked off on Monday, featuring simulations of enemy forces setting sail and intruding into Taiwan’s territorial waters. A key focus of the exercise is coordinating decentralized units to break the opponent’s kill chain, testing the capabilities of spread-out command and control systems. The exercise is designed to showcase the military’s high mobility.

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The exercise places each operational zone at the center of decision-making to simulate decentralized command. Even if communication is disrupted, each zone can engage with the enemy independently while coordinating air defense, sea control and anti-landing operations.

Also part of the drills was a nighttime runway repair exercise simulating damage by enemy fire. Engineering units from the Air Force deployed forklifts and lights to make rapid repairs and restore operations as soon as possible. Through these realistic exercises, Taiwan’s military aims to strengthen its defenses while reinforcing deterrence against aggression.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#taiwan #military #drills #exercises #airforce #army #navy

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Traditional market becomes nightclub in Taitung Expo attraction

Everyone’s walked around traditional markets during the day, but have you ever visited one after hours? One exhibition at the Taitung Expo is encouraging just that, remaking the Central Market through projections, light, and sound to offer a novel experience reminiscent of shopping at a traditional market. Through the exhibition, the old shopping area has been given new life, inviting people to slow down and rediscover this local landmark.

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Member of public
Finds market cool
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Member of public
Finds market cool
It’s very different than usual, like a nightclub.

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Member of public
Likes the concept
If there weren’t an event like this, people wouldn’t come. But doing this brings in more people and helps them get to know the area better.

This year’s Taitung Expo hopes to encourage visitors to slow down and explore the city. From a traditional market filled with the shouts of vendors selling their wares, to a bumping nightclub destination at night, this old venue is recapturing its glory days while launching headfirst into the 21st century.

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Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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#nightclub #Taitung #TaitungExpo #traditionalmarket #artexhibition #CentralMarket #neon #photospot

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Innocent bystander gets sprayed by trash truck juice

One unlucky man will never forget the sight and smell of what happens when a bag of juicy trash explodes in the trash truck. Taiwan’s trash collection system is known for its classical melodies and scenes of humanity at its finest: people line up to throw out their bags of trash, which have been carefully sorted. But sometimes the tidy process can go terribly wrong.

All seems normal, with the trash truck playing its classical melody as people take turns throwing out their trash. But while almost everything is as usual, one unlucky victim is about to come face-to-face with a stinky situation.

Over in Taoyuan’s Guishan District, a man wearing a clean white shirt has just thrown his trash into the truck, but then, all of a sudden, his shirt is now a disgusting yellow. He’s standing there shocked, with juices dripping from his face; this surveillance camera shows that the same yellow gunk is covering his hair.

Voice of Manager
Betel nut stand
I’d just thrown in my trash, because I’m thinking that he’d already thrown in his trash before me. It’s probably from the people running the store next to me; they just threw in their kitchen waste as well, which ended up exploding all over me, covering me from head to toe.

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Resident of Korea
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A South Korean tourist who had visited Taiwan before was deeply impressed by Gaomei Wetlands. When she learned at a booth that there were direct flights from Seoul to Taichung, she exclaimed that she wanted to come back again.

Chen Mei-hsiu
Taichung Tourism and Travel Bureau director
The South Korean market originally only had one route, but now it has three routes with 31 flights per week. The growth rate of the South Korean market has increased more than fourfold in the past two years. So the South Korean market not only has air routes, but also a sufficient number of tourists.

Local governments are promoting tourism by joining forces, hoping to collectively enhance the international competitiveness of central Taiwan’s tourism industry.

Chen Mei-hsiu
Taichung Tourism and Travel Bureau director
More than 70 business operators from Taichung, Changhua, Nantou, and Miaoli have teamed up to promote the region in Seoul, South Korea. Targeting travel industry professionals, the delegation aims to introduce Taichung and the major attractions across these four central Taiwan counties and cities.

Representatives from the four counties and cities traveled to Seoul, where they not only placed large outdoor advertisements in Myeong-dong, but also drew special coverage from Korean television media. Combined with in-person promotional activities, they successfully made a name for themselves and injected new vitality into tourism in central Taiwan.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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