Category：Society

Prosecutors raid companies involved in carcinogenic oil crisis

Prosecutors from the Taichung District Prosecutors Office on Thursday searched four companies involved in selling carcinogenic cooking oil, taking 13 people into custody and questioning them overnight. On Friday, the office determined that Yu Ling-chung, the general manager of Central Union Oil, which was the source of the contaminated soya bean oil with carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene at over four times the legal level, was heavily implicated. It has formally requested a court to detain him without bail, incommunicado.

Lee Yu-pei
Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office
After a comprehensive analysis of the seized evidence, prosecutors determined that all 11 defendants are suspected of serious offenses, including violations of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation. Among them, the defendant surnamed Yu, general manager of Central Union Oil poses a risk of destroying or fabricating evidence, or colluding with accomplices and witnesses. Following interrogation, prosecutors applied to the court for his detention incommunicado.

Prosecutors stated that yesterday they conducted raids at six locations, searching four companies: Central Union Oil, Fopco, Fwusou and Taisun, seizing equipment, inspection reports, shipping documents and other evidence. Eleven individuals were named as defendants. Aside from Yu, the remaining 10 defendants, including the chairs of the four companies, were released on bail ranging from NT$500,000 to NT$20 million, depending on the severity of their involvement in the case.

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

#foodsafety #Taiwanfood #carcinogens #contaminatedfood #benzo(a)pyrene

2026-07-10

Driver in minor scrape caught with dead daughter passenger

A woman was caught driving with a dead passenger riding shotgun in her car thanks to a minor scrape with a parked scooter. At first, it all seemed like a minor traffic accident, but it all took a dark turn when witnesses smelled a foul odor emanating from the car, and noticed that the passenger was swollen and completely still. Emergency responders arrived and confirmed everyone’s suspicions: the passenger had died long before the collision. Let’s hear more.

Witness
Saw the dead person
Her mouth has hanging open, and her face was swollen. You could tell right away. It smelled like a decomposing body.

Witness
Saw the dead person
I didn’t dare get too close. I just took a peek. She was… lying there. The seat was reclined.

Tung Sheng-che
Police officer
The passenger, Ms. Chi, was clearly dead. Paramedics determined there was no need to take her to the hospital. The cause of death is under investigation.

Kao Ta-cheng
Forensic pathologist
She must have been dead for at least 30 minutes. She presented livor mortis, so it must have been more than 30 minutes, maybe even an hour, before she was loaded on the car.

The morbid scene took place on Zhonghe Road in Pingtung’s Xinyuan Township. The car driver was a 62-year-old woman, and the deceased passenger was her disabled daughter, aged 37. The two had set off on a trip from Taoyuan on July 1, joined by the driver’s elder sister. They stopped in Tainan, before heading to Kaohsiung on July 2 and finally making their way to Pingtung on July 9. They were allegedly heading to an outing at Donglong Temple when the disturbing situation was discovered.

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

#morbid #traffic #car #taitung #gothictaiwan

2026-07-10

Massive sinkhole causes gas leak Taipei’s busy Dunhua North Road

Another massive sinkhole has destroyed a road in downtown Taipei. At around 11:00 on Wednesday morning, an alley along Dunhua North Road in Songshan District caved in, leaving a 4-by-2-meter gap with a depth of 2 meters. What’s worse, the collapse caused underground gas pipes to break, resulting in a leak that alarmed local residents.

Authorities believe the most likely culprit is an urban renewal project along the road, which is managed by Formosa Plastics Group. Excavation work at the site may have loosened the soil and rocks under the ground before operators had time to backfill the gap. It also didn’t help that the area rests on a sandy layer that is prone to subsidence. The Construction Management Office has ordered construction to halt and will impose a maximum fine of NT$90,000 on the contractor and supervisor of the project.

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

#sinkhole #collapse #construction #taipei #urbanrenewal

2026-07-08

72-year-old woman alive after crash sets leaky scooter on fire

It was nothing short of a miracle when a 72-year-old scooter driver made a narrow escape from a traffic accident in New Taipei on Tuesday morning. The scooter crashed into a big truck that was making a right turn. It fell to the ground and caught fire within seconds, likely due to a punctured gas tank. People quickly came to the rescue and pulled the driver out of the blaze. The truck driver got out of the vehicle and put out the fire with an extinguisher. The scooter driver sustained burns on many parts of her body, but is fortunately alive.

The lorry is turning right at the light when… Bang! A scooter crashes straight into its side, sending the driver to the ground. Within seconds, the scooter is ablaze. What’s worse is that the driver, a woman in her 70s, is pinned under the vehicle inside the fireball.

A traffic warden and a volunteer rush to the rescue, while the truck driver himself runs over with a large extinguisher to put out the blaze. The foam and smoke engulf the entire road.

Hung Chiao-hsuan
FTV reporter
The accident took place at a main thoroughfare near a popular American retailer. This place is always busy with commuters and truck drivers, making it a crash hotspot.

Member of public
Concerned about crash
I often see accidents here. At rush hour, it’s always jam-packed, and everyone is in a time crunch. There’s tons of cars and motorbikes.

Member of public
Concerned about crash
If you’re driving a car, it could take you half an hour to get over here from the Oriental Science Park. You’re stuck in traffic for 20, 30 minutes.

The crash happened past 7 on Tuesday morning, at Xintaiwu Road in Xizhi District. Police believe the cause was failure to account for the turning radius of the truck, and the scooter’s location in a blind spot. As the truck driver, Mr. Su, turned right onto the highway, his vehicle collided with the scooter rider Ms. Wu, aged 72. The scooter’s fuel tank ruptured and caught fire as it scraped against the ground. Ms. Wu sustained burns on her face, torso and legs, but was conscious when rescued.

Chang Chih-wei
Police officer
Our staff rushed over to pull out the rider, who was trapped under the burning scooter.

Fortunately, thanks to everyone’s quick thinking, the fire was put out, and the driver made it out of the crash alive.

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

#traffic #scooter #fire #fuel #leak

2026-07-08

Coast Guard saves drowning bather with remote-controlled lifebuoy

On Monday late afternoon, the Coast Guard saved a drowning bather off the coast of Longfeng Fishing Port in Miaoli in minutes, all thanks to a high-tech device acquired in recent years. It took only three minutes to reach the victim, who was struggling to stay afloat, giving him something to grab on. Then, Coast Guard officers dragged him back onshore. The victim was conscious and was sent to hospital for treatment.

In the video, you can see someone carried by the waves. Meanwhile, another person onshore maneuvers a black object. What’s happening?

Turns out, he’s operating a remote-controlled power lifebuoy, which does not require rescuers to go out to sea. Within three minutes, the lifebuoy reached the victim, giving them something to hold on to.

Chen Wen-wei
Coast Guard
Normally, we operate it onshore if the target is visible with the naked eye, but it has a maximum range of about 100m.

While the victim grasps onto the lifebuoy, rescuers drag them back onshore.

Tsai Chong-ying
Coast Guard
We immediately deployed the power lifebuoy to rescue the individual who was drowning and reached him within three minutes. We then swiftly and safely transported him back onshore.

The Longfeng Inspection Office in Miaoli, under the Coast Guard’s Central Branch, was reported of the incident by a member of the public a little past 5 p.m. Monday. The caller said that someone was drowning off the coast of Longfeng Fishing Port, in the direction of the Lovers’ Bridge. The Coast Guard immediately rushed to the scene with the high-tech equipment, pulled the victim up and sent him to hospital on an ambulance.

Lin Tzu-chieh
Miaoli Fire Department
When we arrived on scene, Coast Guard officers had already rescued the patient from sea and assessed his level of consciousness. He was able to walk on his own. We kept him warm and gave him oxygen, then sent him to Weigong Hospital.

The victim is a 24-year-old man surnamed Chen. He and two other friends had gone out to sea, but he ended up drowning. He was conscious when rescuers pulled him back onshore, and sent to the hospital for treatment.

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

#tech #devices #coastguard #lifeguard #lifebuoy

2026-07-07

Media personality Yaita Akio punched in the face by Chinese-born HK man

Chinese-born Japanese-Taiwanese media personality Yaita Akio was physically assaulted in Taichung by a man in black on Monday afternoon. At the time of the attack, Yaita had just finished giving a lecture for a foundation that promotes public policy and Taiwan-Japan relations. He was punched in the face and left bleeding. Let’s hear more.

Yaita Akio
Media personality
Someone behind me yelled to get my attention. Not my name, but something else. When I turned around, he said something, which I didn’t quite catch. Then he punched me hard on the spot below my nose, around my mouth. Today, I was invited to speak on international relations, nothing to do with Taiwan’s domestic governance. If I’m being attacked so violently for my personal stance and speech, which they do not agree with, I don’t think that should be permissible at all.

Ho Hsin-chun
Taichung mayoral candidate (DPP)
I strongly condemn such a violent act. This shouldn’t happen in Taichung.

Tu Chih-jung
Taichung Police 6th Precinct
The police headed to Taichung International Airport and arrested the suspect, surnamed Liao, at around 4 p.m. today.

The police arrested the suspect, who had seemingly conducted a cross-border hit-and-run attack on Yaita. According to preliminary investigations, the 33-year-old suspect, who was born in China and holds a Hong Kong ID, had gone to the hotel where Yaita was attacked on Sunday, allegedly to plan the attack. Yaita was invited to give a lecture on his observations of regional geopolitics. Born in Tianjing, China, Yaita moved to Japan at the age of 15. In Taiwan, he worked as the Taipei office director of the Japanese newspaper, Sankei Shimbun until resigning two years ago. He obtained Taiwanese nationality in 2024 and is now the director of the Indo-Pacific Strategy Think Tank, which he founded.

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

#矢板明夫 #mediapersonality #taiwan #japan #china

2026-07-06

Mother in Taitung dangerously leaves baby in car when going shopping

How could a mother leave her baby in her car when she went shopping? This is one of two cases of outrageous neglect that we’ve uncovered on FTV. In another incident, an adult was driving a car, while two little girls were sitting with their bodies halfway out the sunroof. A witnessed filmed this, posted the footage online and it caused an uproar. The girls could have easily fallen out of the car if it braked suddenly or wobbled. Let’s find out more.

A black sedan passes through an intersection, attracting attention. It wasn’t the car itself that was unusual, but rather the fact that two little girls were sitting on the roof, half of their bodies sticking out of the car. Witnesses said the two girls were wearing goggles and were screaming all the way, seemingly quite excited.

This was seen at several intersections in a row. This outrageous scene occurred on Thursday night when the black sedan exited an interchange and drove along Section 6 of Jiaoxi Road in Yilan. The two girls sat on the roof of the car as it drove around while they enjoyed the breeze.

Member of the public
Appalled
If a car kept wobbling when in motion, and they accidentally fell off, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Lin Hsin-wei
Jiaoxi police station
The police issued tickets in accordance with regulations to maintain traffic order and ensure the safety of people on the road.

There was also another instance of adult negligence, this time in Taitung. A baby was seen lying in the passenger seat of an SUV, crying hysterically. A passerby noticed and immediately sought help. It turned out the baby’s mother had gone shopping in a mall.

Chang Wei-wen
Guanshan police station
Leaving infants and young children alone in a car, even for a short shopping trip, can endanger their lives due to factors such as high temperatures and a lack of oxygen inside the vehicle.

Chen Shu-lan
Taitung County Social Affairs Department
According to Article 51 of the Child and Juvenile Welfare and Rights Protection Act, we cannot leave children under the age of six alone or entrust them to care from unsuitable individuals.

Police are reminding the public never to leave children under six years old alone in a car, as this is against the law. Don’t wait until a tragedy occurs and then regret it later.

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

#Childabuse #Neglectfulparents #childcare #traffic #roadtrip

2026-07-03

Nurses save the day when power bank smokes in emergency room

A man in Changhua City narrowly avoided disaster after his power bank suddenly began smoking and making popping sounds while charging his phone in a hospital emergency room. Nurses quickly responded with a fire extinguisher and then cooled the device in water, preventing the situation from escalating.

A man lies on a hospital bed waiting for his girlfriend to come back, when his power bank suddenly starts smoking. Startled, he jumps up and flees from the smoke. Hospital staff quickly grab a fire extinguisher and use it on the smoking battery.

Hsu Chi-wei
Firefighter
The power bank started emitting smoke and making popping sounds. Hospital staff immediately used a fire extinguisher to stop the smoke and then placed the power bank in water to cool it down.

The incident occurred in the emergency room at Hanming Christian Hospital in Changhua. Thanks to fire prevention training and lithium battery safety videos, hospital staff responded quickly. They followed the correct procedure, first extinguishing the smoke, then submerging the device to cool it. While fire extinguishers can temporarily suppress flames, they cannot stop the underlying thermal reaction that causes power banks to smoke.

Chiu Yu-jui
Hospital physician
The patient’s boyfriend’s power bank was on the bed and suddenly caught fire, burning a hole in the sheet. Fortunately, our nursing staff is well-trained in fire safety and were able to quickly put out the fire with a fire extinguisher.

Thankfully, the fire was quickly controlled, and no one was injured. The hospital later held a ceremony to commend the staff who helped put out the fire. It also urged people not to place power banks on beds or blankets, and not to bring plug-in power banks into the facility, noting that this incident could have injured patients and endangered staff.

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

#hospital #fire #powerbank #spontaneouscombustion #Changhua #firefighter #nurse #doctor #emergencyroom

2026-07-02

73-yo woman’s body pulled from bottom of truck after getting hit

On Tuesday evening, a 73-year-old woman in Tainan crossing the street got hit by a truck making a left turn. She immediately got dragged underneath the vehicle. Passers-by stopped to lift the vehicle and free her, and soon afterwards, she lost her vital signs. Fortunately, her pulse was restored by rescuers.

The ambulance rushes to the scene. Someone just got hit by a vehicle and is stuck at the bottom.

The victim, who’s wearing a pink shirt, was dragged to the bottom of the truck. A dozen passers-by lifted the vehicle with their bare hands to free her.

Member of public
Eyewitness
Lots of people helped lift the vehicle. When I saw that they’d succeeded in lifting the vehicle, the ambulance arrived.

Voice of Lee Chen-ping
Tainan City Fire Department
When the ambulance was about to leave, her condition suddenly deteriorated. She lost her breathing and pulse. So I got off the vehicle and helped the rescuer who was trying to save her.

The woman who was hit by a pickup truck and got dragged underneath the vehicle even lost her vital signs soon after she was freed. Fortunately, rescuers were able to restore her pulse before sending her to the hospital for treatment.

The accident happened in Tainan’s Yongkang District, a little after 7 p.m. The 73-year-old woman surnamed Wu was crossing the street on the pedestrian crossing when she got hit by the truck driven by a man surnamed Lu, who failed to yield to pedestrians and caused the near-fatal crash.

Hung Pai-liang
Yongkang Precinct, Tainan City Police
As of today, since the beginning of 2026, our precinct has dealt with 187 cases penalizing drivers who failed to yield to passengers. According to Paragraph 4, Article 44 of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act, a car driver that did not pause to allow pedestrians to cross first and committed an accident that resulted in injury, they shall be fined from NT$18,000 to NT$36,000 and have their license revoked for one to two years.

The truck driver didn’t stop for the woman on the pedestrian crossing and hit her directly, causing near-fatal injury. The police reiterated that drivers should always give way to pedestrians and not threaten their safety and lives.

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

#roadsafety #traffic #traffichell #pedestrianhell #baddrivers

2026-07-02

Taxi driver rams into gas station wall in dizzy moment

Employees at a gas station in Taichung were given quite the fright this morning when a taxi sped into the bathroom wall. The accident caused no human injuries, yet the taxi did run into four parked scooters. With drug-related driving accidents being in the news lately, both the driver and police clarified that the driver’s low blood sugar levels were the sole cause of the crash.

Eye witness
Gas station employee
I was pumping gas for another vehicle when he suddenly slammed on the gas and raced forwards. The driver said his blood sugar was low.

Eye witness
Gas station employee
There was a customer who had parked over here and then went into the bathroom. His scooter got smashed. Our scooters, which we parked over here, were also wrecked.

Hsu I-wei
Local police chief
Upon investigation, it has been determined that the male driver was feeling unwell and, therefore, accidentally pressed the accelerator, resulting in 4 scooters being damaged. The driver was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The accident happened a little after 7 a.m. Tuesday at a gas station on Dazhi Road in Taichung’s East District. Mr. Kuo, the 65-year old taxi driver, said his blood sugar level was low, and he accidentally pressed the gas pedal after fainting. Fortunately, the only harm caused was property damage, as no injuries were reported.

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

#taxi #publicsafety #dangerous #roadsafety #accident

2026-06-30