Landslide in east Taiwan: Suhua Highway tunnel blocked

According to Liberty Times, a landslide destroyed a section of a rock shed on the Suhua Highway in eastern Taiwan around 11:55 p.m. on Wednesday blocking the traffic. The rock shed connected the No. 13 Tunnel (Daqingshui Tunnel) in Hualien County to the Xiulin Township Tunnel. On Provincial Highway 9, which is a section of the Suhua Highway, the collapse occurred near the 159.3-km mark.

Director-General Chen Wen-juei of the Directorate General of Highways (DGH) is allegedly his route to the scene to assess the damage. The news agency cited Lin Tsung-li, deputy director of the DGH, as noting that the slope that collapsed is comprised of marble rock. According to Lin, previous earthquakes and heavy rains had affected the rock, which then caused the landslide and, consequently, the collapse. Debris removal from the shed is expected to take two to three days, although on-site repair staff are still determining the precise length of time required.

Based on CCTV footage examined by authorities, Li Shun-cheng, executive secretary of the DGH's disaster prevention center, said that there were no persons inside the rock shed when it collapsed. The road corridor between Su'ao Township in Yilan County and Hualien County is impassable because this area is part of both the Suhua Highway Improvement Project and the old Suhua Highway.

Additional local trains and sea transportation services are currently being prepared by the Taiwan Railways Administration as alternatives. According to Li, who was asked about the state of the repairs, it won't be possible to finish them in the next one to two days due to the rock shed's extremely restricted space. He warned people who wanted to drive to Hualien that they would need to first take a detour to Taitung before traveling north to Hualien. Public transit options such as trains and ferries are also available.