76-year-old man trapped after century-old home collapses

76-year-old man trapped after century-old home collapses

2026-09-04

A century-old home in Chiayi suddenly collapsed Friday morning, trapping a 76-year-old man inside. His sister, who lives with him, happened to be outside getting some sunshine when she heard the building come crashing down. She immediately ran to a nearby fire station for help. Fortunately, firefighters were able to reach the man and pull him from the rubble, and remarkably, he was not seriously injured. Let’s hear more.

Victim’s sister
Called for help
The beam gave in and the whole thing collapsed. My brother was on the bed over there. Good thing he didn’t come out, or he would’ve hit his head.

Chien Ming-jui
Chiayi Fire Bureau
The one-story brick house has a wooden roof. But since it’s so unstable, we can’t just tear it apart to get inside, or the whole structure could come crashing down. To access the interior, our fire fighters climbed in from a ladder in the adjacent building. Then they brought out the victim on a spinal board.

Huang Cheng-yi
Borough Warden
Moving forward, they’ll have to follow the relevant regulations and ask the government for assistance to rebuild the house.

The collapse comes after nearly two weeks of heavy rain in Southern Taiwan, with the prolonged downpour believed to have further weakened the 100-year-old structure. Because the building remains unstable, authorities have cordoned off the surrounding area as a precaution. While the house has been destroyed, fortunately, none of the residents were crushed or seriously hurt. The 76-year-old man was still taken to hospital for a checkup, just to be safe. Local officials say the family may need government assistance to rebuild their home.

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

#rain #rebuild #century #mansion #oldhome #renovation #demolition #humbleabode

嘉義百年老房突崩塌! 76歲翁受困胞妹急報警

2026-09-04

嘉義今天上午一棟超過百年的老房突然崩塌，導致一名76歲的老先生受困屋內，同住的妹妹事發當下在屋外曬太陽，驚慌之餘立刻到附近消防局求助，所幸消防人員到場將他救出時，人並沒有被壓傷。

[[傷者妹妹]]
“樑柱整個就壓下去這樣啦，剛好下去整個都崩掉，我哥哥在床那邊，還好他沒有出來，不然就打到頭”

[[嘉市消防湖內分隊小隊長簡明瑞]]
“一層樓的磚造建物，那他的屋頂鋪了很多木頭建築，但因為現場建物的結構非常的不穩定，不能隨便破壞，不然有可能發生倒塌的疑慮，搶救人員架梯從隔壁棟進入，搶救人員入室，將受困民眾利用我們的長背板，將患者成功救出”

[[里長黃正一]]
“後續的動作可能要依相關規定，要請公部門協助來他們重建這個家園”

南部大雨持續近兩周，過多雨水侵襲，也成了壓毀百年老屋的最後一根稻草，由於房屋結構不穩定，周邊緊急拉起封鎖線，雖然房子塌了，但不幸中的大幸是住戶都沒有被壓傷，為了謹慎起見，還是將老先生先送醫治療。

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民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
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At a new park in Yunlin’s Dounan Township, a drone was recently seen hovering low to the air next to the playground. As there’s a highway right above the park, people worried it might cause an accident. The transportation ministry said that flying drones within 30 meters of a highway is illegal and carries a fine of up to NT$300,000.

As kids play happily on the swings, you can see a drone in front of them, hovering low in the air right next to the playground.

Someone recorded this at a new park in Yunlin’s Dounan Township. The playground is right below a highway, which protects it from rain. As lots of families come here on the weekends, people are worried the drone could be dangerous.

Parent
Thinks drone is dangerous
I think it’s inappropriate. Since there are lots of children here, I worry there could be an accident.

Parent
Thinks drone is dangerous
I’m worried that it might hit a child or crash into them.

Parent
Thinks drone is dangerous
It’s dangerous. If it loses control, it could hit a machine or a person, hurting someone. Highway 78 is right above, so it could even affect traffic.

It’s not only right by the playground, but Provincial Highway 78 is right above the park, so it could influence traffic safety.

Wang Ling-yao
Yunlin Transportation Department director
Drone operators must follow the Civil Aviation Act and drone regulations, including that the drone cannot be more than 120 meters above the ground and must stay at least 30 meters away from highways, expressways, and railways. Any activity that violates these regulations is prohibited, with offenders facing fines of up to NT$300,000.

Chang Cheng-hsiung
Formosa drone association chair
It was being flown above a children’s playground. Even the slightest error or interference could cause it to fall or collide with something.

People shouldn’t do anything risky just for the sake of taking photos or having fun, or they could end up facing heavy fines.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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#drone #playground #danger #highway #illegal #fine #Yunlin #park

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KMT chair appears to be slapped by party bigwig at rally

With the KMT and TPP set to run different mayoral candidates in Zhubei City, the breakdown between the parties seems to be spilling over into other areas. That included a rally on Thursday, where former Hsinchu County commissioner Fan Chen-tsung seemed to be berating KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun. To make matters worse, Fan even appeared to have tried to slap Cheng. With in-fighting in the KMT and the frenemy relationship between the KMT and TPP on the rocks, the lead-up to the fall election is not going smoothly for the opposition parties.

- If we don’t win this election,
then we’ll blame the biggest criminal of all, you.

Former Hsinchu County commissioner Fan Chen-tsung wasn’t just being verbally abusive towards KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun. A bit later Fan’s behavior even turned violent.

This open-palm slap shocked spectators at the political rally. Standing behind Cheng, Fan pushed her from behind and when she turned to look back he unleashed what looked like a face smack.

Lee Chien-lung
KMT Vice Chair
I think that was just a friendly gesture, kind of like touching you lightly like this. It wasn’t some type of slap, nothing serious like that. And he also even said the idiom “deep love leads to strict discipline.”

Although KMT Vice Chair Lee said the incident was good–natured at its core, viewing it in slow-motion tells a different tale.

OK, his hand didn’t actually hit her face. But many believe it’s a stretch to say that Fan’s kung fu chop was all in good fun.

Chuang Jui-hsiung
DPP Legislative Caucus
Yesterday’s incident looked like a slap that failed to connect. It doesn’t matter how you spin it, for Cheng Li-wun and Fan Chen-tsung, one left the Democratic Progressive Party after a sexual harassment accusation in 2002 and the other, back in 2007, attended the KMT–CCP Forum, which led to him leaving the DPP.

The ruling party is watching a potential disaster unfold, as Fan’s problematic behavior at the KMT rally is likely connected to the KMT and TPP running separate mayoral candidates in Zhubei City. Anger amongst TPP supporters might even end up spreading to other cities and counties.

Huang Kuo-chang
TPP Chair
Sometimes, when it comes to the emotions of our supporters, it’s not something where our supporters will necessarily take what we say at face value. Right now the TPP’s young support base is, indeed, coming together, it’s uniting, because honesty is the most important thing for a political party.

So, who’s responsible for the KMT-TPP relationship breaking down? And will the KMT succeed at convincing the public that an open-palmed hand sweep towards the party’s chair was simply a friendly interaction?

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

#gettingphysical #slap #KMT #TPP #ZhubeiCity #in-fighting

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Kindhearted teens rush into heavy downpour to help recycling collector

Sometimes, kindness means getting your own clothes a little wet. A group of students from Wanhua Junior High School saw an elderly recycling collector struggling in the pouring rain. They could have just watched on as the man struggled, but instead, they didn’t hesitate to help. They headed out into the downpour and pushed his heavy cart alongside him. It may seem like a small gesture, but it made a big difference for the man.

An elderly man struggles as he pushes a cart down the middle of the road in the pouring rain. Every step is a huge effort as the cardboard boxes get heavier and heavier from soaking up the water. Seeing the sad scene, a group of kindhearted teens from Wanhua Junior High School stepped in to lend a helping hand, melting the hearts of onlookers.

Kind student
Wanhua Junior High School
He was pushing all the cardboard boxes by himself. There were so many that some were slipping off. It was really pouring down, so we thought he might like some help. Like, if we help him finish early, he could go home and rest. He said yes, so we helped him push the cart all the way to Wanda Elementary School.

Kind student
Wanhua Junior High School
It seemed like he was pushing the cart further and further into the road. So we wanted to help him more.

Umbrellas would only get in the way, so two of the students simply accepted the fact that they would get soaking wet. It wasn’t a long stretch, but it made a world of difference to the elderly man.

Kind student
Wanhua Junior High School
My classmate had to go after a bit, so it ended up just being me pushing the cart. The other two accompanied us the whole way. But they were holding umbrellas, so they couldn’t really push that hard. I didn’t mind, because I live nearby anyway. Like, I could just go home and take a shower after.

Hsieh Cheng-wei
Wanhua Junior High School Principal
Helping someone in need fills their heart with joy. In turn, the person they helped might pass on the love, creating a circle of kindness.

The students’ kind actions have earned them praise from their school, which rewarded them with merit points and awards for their good deed.

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In Southern Taiwan, demand for dryers and dehumidifiers is up

In Southern Taiwan, the never-ending rain has been causing the locals a lot of headaches, even car owners who have found shoots growing on their vehicle’s exterior and moldy seats on the interior. Yet all this wet weather has been a big business opportunity for laundromats and shops that sell dehumidifiers. Let’s take a look at the rainy situation.

With all this rain in Southern Taiwan in the last two weeks, the process for a scooter rider is getting repetitive: put on a raincoat and proceed slowly on these wet roads.

- The amount of rain that’s fallen is ridiculous. The ground’s covered in moss.

- When it’s super, super humid like this, things get moldy.

That’s not hyperbole: it’s rained so much that now mold is forming on everything, even the inside of this vehicle that was parked at an open-air parking lot for 5 days. When this lady opened her car’s door, she discovered that the seats, armrests, and the steering wheel had mold growing on them. The trunk of a different car was even the giver of life for these tiny shoots, which the owner described as ridiculously cute.

Chu Jui-ting
Southern Region Weather Center
In August of this year, the weather monitoring station in Tainan’s West Central District had 1,372.5mm of accumulated rain. In the 130 years this station has been in existence, for the month of August, this year has had the second highest amount of rainfall.

Unrelenting rain has driven demand for dehumidifiers. At this home appliance store, box after box of them are waiting to be delivered to customers.

Lin Tang-yu
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There’s really been a lot of people asking about them. Sales have basically doubled. The stock at our warehouse has essentially all been sold out.

It’s not just dehumidifiers that are in demand, as business is booming for launderettes with dryers that can help people who are seeking a remedy for wet clothes.

- These clean clothes are still damp, so I bring them here to dry them.

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OAC, Penghu release fry to restore fish, conch populations

Subsidized by the Ocean Affairs Council, the Penghu Fisher Association recently organized a fish fry release in Magong’s Jingan Village. Families were invited to release a total of 35,000 fish fry and shellfish seeds to restore populations of yellow spotted grunt and dog conch. Besides helping restore marine life, the hands-on activity also helped kids learn about sustainability from a young age.

On the shores of Jingan Village in Magong, adults and children carefully dump buckets teeming with fish fry into the ocean.

- Do you know why you’re releasing fry?
- To sustain ocean life. It’s amazing!

Supporting by funding from the Ocean Conservation Administration, the Penghu Fisher Association released 20,000 yellow spotted grunt fry and 15,000 dog conch seeds. They also invited families to join in, hoping to instill conservation ideals from a young age.

Lu Hsiao-yun
Ocean Conservation Administration director-general
Last year we started a wonderful partnership with the Penghu Fisher Association on restoration of fishery resources. So that includes today’s fry release, as well as marine education, and also net removal. Through the abilities of the association, we aim to restore marine resources across Penghu.

As part of the initiative, participants also went out into the bay on fishing boats to release dog conch seeds, which have high economic value. This allows the shellfish to develop in sustainable waters, simultaneously enriching the ecosystem while also benefiting the local fishing industry.

Parent
Joined project
We’ve released shrimp and crab larvae in the past and even planted seagrass, but we’ve never released conch before. It’s meaningful, because it helps the marine environment keep thriving.

The fisher association said it would continue to restock marine populations to foster a positive cycle of conservation, restoration, and sustainable use, ensuring that Penghu’s oceans can endure for generations to come.

#Penghu #conservation #marinelife #fishfry #fryrelease #conch #sustainability #OAC #oceans #familyactivity

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

2026-09-04