SINGAPORE – Three Singaporean tourists were injured in Taiwan after the taxi in which they were travelling was hit by a car from the opposite direction that crossed into their lane.
The accident took place on Nov 7 at around 2pm in Hualien, on the east coast of Taiwan, about 160km south of Taipei, according to Taiwanese news outlet ETtoday.
A car veered across the double yellow lines on the centre of the road and into opposing traffic, colliding head-on with the taxi carrying the three Singaporeans.
ETtoday reported that the car was driven by an air force serviceman surnamed Zhuang, who was travelling with his wife and child to Yilan, in the north-east of Taiwan, about 50km south of Taipei.
The accident took place along a bend near the 7km mark of County Road 193 in Hualien, the news outlet said.
Seven people were injured, ETtoday reported. It said the family of three, the Singaporeans and the taxi driver were all taken to hospital.
They suffered abrasions and contusions, and their injuries were not life-threatening.
The force of the collision caused Zhuang’s car to overturn and inflicted heavy damage on both vehicles, said ETtoday.
Zhuang’s wife, who was holding their sleeping child in the front passenger seat, was ejected from the vehicle after the windshield shattered on impact.
ETtoday added that preliminary police investigations in Taiwan confirmed that neither driver was under the influence of alcohol.
A saliva test administered to Zhuang also returned negative for narcotics, ruling out both drink-driving and drug use, said the news outlet.
Local police are still investigating the exact cause of the accident.
According to Liberty Times, another Taiwanese news outlet, the authorities suspect that Zhuang may have dozed off at the wheel due to fatigue.
It also reported that the three Singaporeans were passengers who were on the cruise ship Celebrity Millennium, which had docked at Hualien Port at 7am that day.
The Straits Times has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more information.