Two Singaporeans were taken to Taitung Christian Hospital (pictured) for treatment, while the other was taken to Taitung Mackay Memorial Hospital. - SCREENGRAB FROM GOOGLE MAPS
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Five people – including three Singaporeans – were injured in a traffic accident in eastern Taiwan on Wednesday (June 7) night.
One of the Singaporeans suffered serious injuries after the collision between a van and a sedan on a highway in Chenggong, a town in the eastern Taitung county.
The Taitung County Fire Bureau said in a statement on Thursday that it received a report at 10.18pm on Wednesday about an accident at the 119km-mark of an expressway in Chenggong.
Four rescue teams involving six vehicles and 10 firefighters were dispatched to the accident site to offer assistance, the bureau added.
The on-site fire bureau commander Tseng Hsiang-jui said the rescue teams arrived at the scene to see both vehicles’ bumpers badly damaged with one person trapped in the car. Hydraulic tools were used to extract the individual from the car, he added.
The victims were conscious with their vital signs stable when they were rescued, according to Taiwanese broadcaster SET News.
In a video circulated online, rescue personnel are seen carrying an injured man out of the white sedan onto a stretcher. The man can be heard crying out in apparent distress as he is extracted from the wrecked car.
Two Singaporeans, identified by their surnames Tan and Lim, suffered minor injuries and were taken to Taitung Christian Hospital for treatment, while the other, also surnamed Lim, was taken to Taitung Mackay Memorial Hospital for emergency treatment.
Two other individuals, both Taiwanese residents, were also taken to hospital.
The Taitung fire bureau said investigations are ongoing.
