Firefighter dies rescuing tourists who went rafting in stormy weather

Firefighter dies rescuing tourists who went rafting in stormy weather

2026-09-01

A rafting trip in Nantou quickly turned into a fight against the current and later into a rescue mission that claimed a life. Five tourists were caught in a rafting accident on Nantou’s Zhuoshui River. Two managed to swim to shore while three were left stranded on the opposite bank. One of the three was rescued, but a second rescue operation took a deadly turn when the boat overturned, sending two firefighters into the current. One made it back to safety, but a 50-year-old firefighter surnamed Wu was swept away and died.

Rescuers battle the roaring current, wearing life jackets and helmets. After wading 800m upstream, they switch to an inflatable rescue boat.

We’re at the Zhuoshui River in Nantou, where a rafting accident was reported at 2 on Sunday afternoon. Of the five tourists who were onboard the capsized boat, two managed to swim ashore, and three were left stranded on the opposite river bank.

Voice of rescued victim
Was on capsized boat
Halfway through our trip, we reached the Kashe River, which was muddy and had a strong current. The two of us went to ask for help.

Fire and police rescuers conducted a two-day rescue operation. One person was rescued on the first attempt, but on the second attempt, two firefighters fell into the strong current after their vessel capsized. One was able to swim ashore, but another one, surnamed Wu, was swept away.

Lin Chih-hsin
Nantou Fire Department
We found Wu 700-800m upstream of the Shuanglong Bridge.

He was rushed to a hospital, but was pronounced dead after resuscitation efforts failed. He’s the first firefighter to die in the line of duty since the Nantou County Fire Department was established.

Liu Shyh-fang
Minister of the Interior
The president and the premier have expressed their deepest condolences to the family of the firefighter, Mr. Wu. As a token of our respect, we will create a fund to cover his children’s expenses until they graduate from university.

Hsu Shu-hua
Nantou County Commissioner
In extreme weather, you should consider all factors when going hiking or boating. It would be extremely regrettable if something were to happen to our rescuers.

Mr. Wu was a 50-year-old former military officer who later took an exam to transfer to the Fire Department. He was dispatched on many challenging missions, saving countless lives.

An autopsy was conducted at the funeral home on Tuesday morning. Two tourists remain stranded, but with the difficult terrain and weather conditions, their rescue remains challenging. Supplies have been airdropped so they have sustenance, and once the weather clears, the two may be rescued via helicopter.

#rescue #rafting #hero #firefighter #nantou #extremesports

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濁水溪泛舟意外! 警消救生艇翻覆"1隊員殉職"

2026-09-01

南投信義鄉，濁水溪上游，上週日(8/30)下午發生泛舟意外！5位民眾划獨木舟時，突然翻覆，警消接連兩天派遣人力救援，卻在昨日(8/31)發生動力救生艇翻覆意外，一名伍姓隊員遭大水沖走，送醫急救後，宣告不治。

搜救人員，穿著救生衣，艱難的涉水前行，但現場水流真的又猛又急，溯溪逆攻大約800公尺後，改由駕駛IRB動力救生挺，前往救援。

搜救地點就在南投縣濁水溪上游，8/30下午2點，消防局獲報，5位民眾，發生泛舟意外，其中2人自行游上岸，另外3人則是受困於對岸待救，

[[聲源:脫困民眾]]
“行徑到中途到卡社溪，當下的卡社溪水是濁的，而且暴漲，我跟另一位先鋒出來求救。”

警消連兩日進行搜救，第一波搜索成功救出一人，但第二波行動時，救援挺卻意外翻覆，2名隊員落水，一名自行脫困，另一名伍姓隊員，卻被大水捲走。

[[南投縣消防局第三大隊長林志信]]
“終在雙龍橋上方，約七、八百公尺處，成功攔截伍姓隊員。”

緊急送醫搶救，伍姓隊員還是宣告不治，而他也是南投縣消防局成立以來，第一位因公殉職的消防人員。

[[內政部長劉世芳]]
“包括總統還有院長，對於殉職的伍姓消防員，都表達最深的致意。那我們會把未成年子女的教育，直到大學畢業的教育基金都準備好，表達我們的敬意。”

[[南投縣長許淑華]]
“極端天氣之下，不管要去登山或者要去泛舟的，希望能好好考慮各種因素，萬一讓我們救難人員發生不幸事件，我想這讓我們都非常遺憾。”

50歲伍姓消防員軍方退伍，考取消防特考班，受訓後轉消防隊，參與多項艱困任務，一生出勤救人無數。

檢察官1日上午，來到殯儀館進行相驗，而剩下2位受困民眾待救中，不過因為地形及氣候因素，搜救難度高，目前先空投物資，等到天氣放晴，將派遣直升機，以吊掛方式救人。

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Snorkelers manually count 16,000 Formosan salmon

The population of Formosan landlocked salmon once dwindled to only a couple hundred, putting the precious endemic species on the brink of extinction. After 30 years of restoration efforts, there are now more than 16,000. But do you know how the salmon are counted? Most people probably don’t realize they’re actually counted one by one by snorkelers!

Staff working to rehabilitate Formosan landlocked salmon traverse a mountainside, climbing across craggy cliffs to reach their natural habitat: Qijiawan Creek. They then strap on their snorkeling gear and dip into the water to search for fish.

The divers shout out numbers for the people on shore to record. Fish counting is best between June and September, when the water temperature in Qijiawan Creek hovers around 15 to 18 degrees. The snorkelers crawl along the riverbed, holding on tight with both hands in an intense display of physical stamina.

Liao Lin-yen
Formosan Landlocked Salmon Ecology Center director
We do a visual snorkeling survey for the annual population count. For this, three people go out together: two snorkeling in the water to tally the small, medium, and large salmon and ascertain their health, who then call out the data to a counter on the shore.

But as the water flows around them and fish swim by, how do they get an accurate count?

Liao Lin-yen
Formosan Landlocked Salmon Ecology Center director
These deep pools are actually prime hotspots for salmon, allowing us to calculate the numbers very accurately.

Working in teams of three, the group chooses deeper pools where the fish tend to gather to ensure a more accurate count. Beyond understanding fish behavior, there’s another trick to counting: they can avoid missing or double-counting fish by moving upstream rather than downstream. Going from near extinction with only a couple hundred fish to today’s 16,000 is a hard-won achievement. To ensure continued success, the center also called on farmers to use less pesticides and fertilizer to help protect the country’s precious endemic species.

#fish #salmon #Formosanlandlockedsalmon #fishcounter #ecology #conservation #snorkeling #QijiawanCreek

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2026-09-01

Taichung driver gets 13 tickets in 42 seconds

A Taichung driver was hit with 13 traffic tickets totaling NT$13,800 in just 42 seconds for driving in the oncoming lane and failing to use a turn signal. The driver protested the fines, saying the parked cars on either side of the road left no choice but to cross the center line. Police said they would ask the National Police Agency about the tickets’ validity.

This driver got 13 tickets in just 42 seconds on his way home, roughly one every three seconds. There were six for failing to use a turn signal and seven for crossing the double yellow line, totaling NT$13,800 in fines.

Mr. Lee
Driver
I got the first one and was going to pay it, but the next day, 12 more came. I was overwhelmed. One or two is fine, but when so many came the next day, I realized something was wrong.

Wang Yu-fei
FTV reporter
He was driving here on Jinzhou Road and crossed the double yellow line to avoid cars parked on either side of the road, resulting in the tickets.

As Jinzhou Road in Taichung’s Wufeng District is only 8 meters wide, drivers often cross the double yellow line to avoid vehicles parked on either side. The driver has driven on this road many times, but has never been issued repeated violations. This time he feels the tickets were unfair.

Mr. Lee
Driver
Almost every car will cross the center line on this road because it’s so narrow and there are illegally parked cars and motorcycles.

Repeat fines can be issued if a violation lasts more than six minutes or the vehicle passes through at least one intersection. But Lee said he passed through the entrance to an alley, not a full intersection. Taichung police said they would ask the National Police Agency.

Chang Yi-ko
Wufeng police officer
As the location in question is an alley entrance, police will seek clarification from the National Police Agency on whether it qualifies as a legally defined intersection.

On roads less than 10 meters wide, drivers who violate traffic rules to avoid illegally parked vehicles may be exempt from tickets. Lee filed an appeal and is waiting for the verdict.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#driver #driving #traffic #fine #ticket #tickets #doubleyellowline #parking #alley #illegalparking

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Three students travel to St Lucia as TaiwanICDF ambassadors

TaiwanICDF is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. To celebrate, the aid organization for the first time is hosting an open selection to bring student ambassadors to Taiwan’s allied nations. Recently, three college students visited St Lucia to observe firsthand Taiwan’s collaborative projects in the Caribbean nation. These projects greatly benefit agriculture, women’s empowerment, education, and public heath, for instance by boosting local vegetable yields by an expected 25% by the end of the year. FTV got to hear directly from the students about their experience.

Halfway across the world here in the Caribbean nation of St Lucia, you can see Taiwan’s flag painted along the street.

Kung Chung-yi
FTV reporter
Nearly 16,000 kilometers away, St Lucia is home to hardworking diplomats as well as nongovernmental personnel from TaiwanICDF, extending Taiwan’s presence here in the Caribbean.

This Mandarin teacher has a close relationship with his students, who were happy to receive some small gifts from across the sea. After 30 years, TaiwanICDF programs have expanded to encompass fields such as agriculture, women’s empowerment, education, and public health.

Nicole Su
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Every project delves deep into the local community. Whether in agriculture, ICT, public health, community development, or education, they all involve close interaction with residents. I believe people-to-people exchanges are an important element to further strengthening our bilateral relationship.

Joining on the frontlines this time were a few more young faces. For the first time, TaiwanICDF hosted a special internship to celebrate its 30th anniversary, bringing students along on a five-day trip to the Caribbean ally.

Yu Ting-hsuan
Student ambassador
Through our perspective as young people, we can personally experience what it’s like here in St Lucia and hopefully bring the beauty of this allied nation back with us to share with young people in Taiwan.

Lin Yi-chun
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What impressed me most was their technology center here. It helps reduce travel costs for people by letting them go there to use the computers.

Hsu Hua-chen
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My favorite part was the visit to the embassy. Since it’s my first time in St Lucia, having our local ambassador greet us in person made me really happy.

Taiwan’s technology and talent have a strong presence in its allied nations. From agriculture and healthcare to education, Taiwan continues to help its allies enact meaningful change through long-term cooperation.

#TaiwanICDF #StLucia #allies #studentambassador #diplomacy #Caribbean #internationalaid #youthdiplomacy

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2026-09-01

1,712mm of rainfall is highest monthly record since 1931

Kaohsiung has had a wet August. In fact, it was so rainy that 1931 was the last time Kaohsiung had this much rain in a single month. Starting Aug. 19, 13 days of wicked wet weather has made life difficult for both urban and rural areas, with trees and roadside slopes crashing down onto streets and new waterfalls being formed on mountains. Let’s see some of the footage.

In Kaohsiung, where rain is refusing to let up, this white car comes to a stop at the traffic light. The leaning roadside tree starts sagging even more, suddenly falling onto the car. The frightened scooter rider gets away from the tree, which didn’t injure the driver inside the car.

- How’d that happen? I thought something man-made had fallen down.

This close call happened a little after 6 am on Sept. 1 in Cianjhen District, at the intersection of Baotai Rd. and Gongzheng Rd. The falling tree incident did have two inanimate victims: in addition to the car that had stopped at the red light, a SUV parked on the roadside had its hood crushed by the tree trunk.

Chen Chin-hung
Kaohsiung Public Works Bureau
The constant rain during the last few days loosened the soil, which led to the tree toppling over.

Day after day of pouring rain created a fierce waterfall on Shoushan. Part of a slope bordering Highway 20 came crumbling down onto the pavement. In Jiaxian, on Sept. 1, starting at 9 in the morning, this road was closed until the completion of repair work, which took over an hour.

Torrential rain that started late at night soaked the hiking trail on Shoushan. From this angle, the water rushing down next to these steps looked like a surging stream.

Some of the drainage system is clogged, causing yellowish muddy water that makes the already wet pavement even more slippery.

People are wondering if the rainy weather is ever going to take a break. According to data from the Kaohsiung Weather Station, several monthly precipitation records were broken this August, such as there being 18 total days with rain, and starting on Aug. 19 there were 13 days of consecutive rain. In Augusts of the past, Kaohsiung averaged 450mm of precipitation, but the total figure for this year’s eighth month is almost quadruple the average. Annually, Kaohsiung receives 1,839mm of rainfall on average, meaning the 1,712mm in August is essentially enough rain for one year.

Tsai Tsung-hua
Kaohsiung Weather Station
The accumulated rain this August is the highest in a single month since 1931.

The total rain this August may rival annual averages, yet, unfortunately for Kaohsiung, September is here but the rain hasn’t gone away, so all people can do is hope that mother nature doesn’t produce another disaster.

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48 live ducklings hatch from balut eggs at produce shop

Four little ducks went out one day. Out the produce store and into the city of Kaohsiung. The beloved nursery rhyme “Five Little Ducks” may be a little different than the live action version that happened in Kaohsiung during the most recent rainy stretch in the south, as a total of 48 ducklings hatched from balut eggs, likely due to humid, muggy air. Thankfully for the ducklings, the grocer and locals have fallen in love with the accident babies.

This video posted online by a greengrocer shows four ducklings making a run for it. But there’s no need to waddle away from this produce store, because the boss isn’t planning on turning them into duck stew. In addition to fruit and vegetables, the shop also sells balut eggs, a type of Southeast Asia street food staple in which the inside of a duck egg has a fertilized embryo. During the typhoon day on Aug. 24, the grocer went to check out his shop when he saw that the balut eggs had come alive.

Greengrocer
Surrogate father of ducklings
For the typhoon, we had two days off in a row. We came to the store the day before to check out, you know, everything that was inside. When we opened the door we were surrounded by ducks; that’s when I realized the eggs must’ve hatched.

This greengrocer in Kaohsiung’s Gangshan District had perfect conditions to hatch a big batch of ducklings: the stretch of rain created humidity that turned muggy thanks to the building’s metal structure. The result was ducklings popping out of balut eggs.

- Another one has hatched

The grocer is a man of many hats: on top of being a delivery nurse, he’s also babysitting a great group of ducklings that are a result of a beautiful accident.

Greengrocer
Surrogate father of ducklings
It might be because of the egg producers, who didn’t do a good job of stopping the embryos’ development, which led to them continuing to grow inside the shells. In general, we sell most of our balut eggs to Vietnamese customers. The eggs are a traditional delicacy over in Vietnam.

Due to the grocer’s caring heart, these little ducklings are growing up quickly. But finding future homes for 48 of them was no easy task, which is why he turned to the internet to find adoptive parents.

Greengrocer
Surrogate father of ducklings
Many people have come just to see the ducks. The last few days whenever I pick up the phone, it’s because people are calling to ask if the ducks are still here. This is why I’m thoroughly vetting the future owners before I let them adopt one.

Except for two, which will remain at the shop, all the other accidental hatchlings have found their forever homes. The grocer hopes these miraculous ducklings can continue to have good luck, growing up to live long healthy lives.

#oops #ducklings #accidentbabies #baluteggs #adoption

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Exercising pays off more than ever with free tea eggs and healthy snacks

You can now get tea eggs for getting your sweat on in Taiwan. The Ministry of Sports has kicked off a program that rewards people for doing exercise. All it takes is registering online, and completing weekly tasks that give you NT$50 towards buying healthy snacks at convenience stores. Sports activities that count include clocking in 8,000 steps in one day, or exercising for 30 minutes. The program lasts 14 weeks, so there’s a total of NT$700 up for grabs. Let’s hear more.

Tang Shih-ching
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For some people, exercising feels like torture. But now, it’s another way to get a treat. Complete your weekly tasks, and get cash to indulge in a healthy snack like tea eggs or milk.

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If there’s no incentive, or you don’t have a goal, you’ll just be like “Meh, whatever, I’ll skip the gym today.” So you still need a little motivation.

Local
Exercises already
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A fitness craze is taking over Taiwan, and it could really work out for your wallet. An e-commerce platform is running with it, offering discounts of up to NT$999 on sports equipment. Convenience stores have launched offers in tandem with the government. At Hi-Life, smoothies costing NT$79 and chicken breasts priced at NT$59 can be redeemed without any additional payment. 7-Eleven is also chipping in, adding NT$5 to the government’s NT$50 gift. Meanwhile, FamilyMart is stretching the NT$50 by 6% for a grand total of NT$53.

#exercise #fitness #healthy #wellbeing #conveniencestore #conbini #familymart #7eleven #konbini

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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2026-09-01