【明報專訊】When the destructive Typhoon Megi hit Taiwan in mid-October, a huge landslide occurred on Suhua Highway (蘇花公路), a 118-metre section of the Provincial Highway No 9. It caused heavy casualties and serious traffic disruptions. As of October 29, the 23 missing persons, of whom 18 were from the mainland, had yet to be found.
Body parts believed to be of one male and two females were discovered. Some of them are believed to be of the woman Beijing tour guide or the male Taiwan driver.
The mainland tourists' families had arrived in Taiwan earlier. Most of them believed their family members to be still alive. The authorities have obtained DNA from samples from them for body part identification.
Strong winds and heavy falls of rain made the rescue operation difficult. A member of the rescue team was hit by falling rocks and suffered a bone fracture in the leg. The armed services have joined the rescue operation. Some have said the heavy casualties were due more to human inadequacy than to the natural disaster (「三分天災，七分人禍」). Taiwan Premier Wu Den-yih (台灣行政院長吳敦義) has said the authorities have never given the rescue up and details of what happened in the accident could be made available to the public if necessary.
■Keywords
environmental disaster……環境災難
support……支援
■Questions
1.Why have some said the accident was due to human inadequacy rather than the natural disaster?
2.What adverse impact may natural disasters like landslides have?
3.What may have to be done in the wake of such a disaster? What important issues may have to be taken into account?
■Further readings
1.The Taipei Times. "Wu tries to head off highway protest", 2010.10.29
2.The China Post. "More missing tourists' family members arrive from China", 2010.10.26
