Northern Taiwan Hit Hard: Flooding and a Missing Person Following Intense Downpours

Heavy rains trigger flooding incidents, impacting transportation and leading to a search and rescue operation in the Taoyuan area.

Taipei, April 10 - Severe weather conditions have battered northern Taiwan, resulting in significant flooding and triggering a search and rescue operation. The heavy rain, which began early Thursday morning, caused widespread disruption and concern across the region.

A critical incident occurred in Taoyuan City, where a worker inside a storm drain pipe was swept away by the rapidly rising water levels. The Taoyuan Fire Department reported receiving the call at 10:21 a.m. and immediately deployed firefighters to the scene, located at the intersection of Taode Road and Yongfu West Street. As of early Thursday afternoon, the man remained missing, and search efforts were ongoing.

Beyond the missing person, the downpours have also led to substantial flooding in other areas. A video circulated on Threads, showing an alarming scene inside a Danshui MRT train, where rainwater gushed through the open doors. Commuters were forced to raise their legs to avoid the accumulating water on the train floor. The man who posted the video, surnamed Wang (王), stated he had never witnessed such an event during his over two decades of MRT usage.

The transportation infrastructure was also severely affected. The Taiwan Railway Corp. announced a two-hour suspension of train services between Neili and Fugang stations in Taoyuan due to flooding on the tracks. The suspension, lasting from 9:52 a.m. to 11:53 a.m., impacted 5,210 passengers across 23 trains. The railway operator provided shuttle bus services and ticket refunds to those affected by the delays.

According to the Central Weather Administration, by 3:30 p.m., certain areas of Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County, and New Taipei City had received over 100 millimeters of rainfall, highlighting the intensity of the downpours and their impact across the region.