Three drowning incidents on Saturday across Taiwan

週六台灣發生三起溺水事件

The summer heat on Saturday drove many people to beaches and rivers to cool off


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Three people died in three separate drowning incidents across Taiwan on Saturday (July 9) as the summer heat drove many to beaches and rivers to spend the weekend.

A 16-year-old senior high school student surnamed Hung (洪) went to Maling Hot Spring, a wild riverside hot spring near Guguan in Taichung City, with his friends on Saturday morning, CNA reported. When they were crossing a river on their way to the hot spring, Hung allegedly tripped, fell into the water, and drowned.

Hung’s friends called for help immediately, and when rescuers arrived at the scene, they found Hung stuck at the bottom of the river, three meters deep. Hung showed no signs of life after being retrieved from the water.

Another drowning happened at the Doufu Cape scenic area to the east of Nanfang'ao Fishing Port in Yilan County around 3 p.m. A family of five went to the scenic area for an outing and three children went into the water to play. An eight-year-old boy drowned. He exhibited no vital signs after being removed from the water, and he was pronounced dead later in the hospital, per CNA.

Another drowning incident happened in the Xindian River under the Qingtan-Weir Reservoir in New Taipei’s Xindian District around 6 p.m.

A 48-year-old man surnamed Li (李) went swimming under the Qingtan-Weir Reservoir with two of his friends around 6 p.m. Li went into the river first while his friends were changing into their swimming suits in the changing rooms.

When Li’s friends emerged from the changing rooms, they discovered he was missing, then made an emergency call for help. Rescuers searched the river area until about 8 p.m. when they had to call it off due to the darkness. Li’s body was found on Sunday morning after the search was resumed, per CNA.