A debris flow along the Jiaoxi-Taipei mountain highway trapped a 38-seat tour bus for nine hours overnight as Typhoon Champi’s outer rainbands soaked Yilan County, prompting the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to close the uphill lane and run a contraflow for rescue vehicles.
What happened on the road
The bus was returning from a hot-spring hotel group tour when mud and fallen timber blocked both tires on a hairpin segment near kilometer 12. No injuries were reported, but passengers spent the night on board with heat from the idling engine until power was shut off at 2 a.m. to conserve fuel.
Yilan firefighters reached the scene on foot after landslides made the lane impassable for heavy trucks. They escorted passengers downhill in small groups, finishing evacuations at 5:40 a.m.
Road closure plan
The highway administration said one lane would remain closed through Thursday while crews stabilize a slope above the roadway. Contraflow traffic lights will run during daylight hours for local residents and supply trucks carrying pump parts to flooded farms in Datong Township.
Bus operators were told to reroute via the coastal highway, adding roughly 45 minutes between Jiaoxi and Taipei. Ticket sellers at Taipei Main Station posted handwritten notices for morning departures.
Weather context
The Central Weather Administration recorded 312 millimeters of rain at Jiaoxi in the 24 hours through 6 a.m., with soil saturation indices exceeding thresholds the agency uses for debris-flow advisories. Champi had weakened to a tropical storm south of Okinawa but continued to pump moist northeast monsoon air into Taiwan’s east coast.
What travelers should expect
Chih-Wei Cheng, InfoHandle’s security desk, said travelers should check the freeway bureau’s SMS alerts before heading to Yilan hot-spring corridors this week. Hotels offered refunds for Wednesday check-ins when guests could document blocked roads.
Prosecutors opened a file to review whether the tour company ignored a county warning issued at 8 p.m. Tuesday; the company said its driver monitored official channels and was caught between slides.
What readers should watch next
County agencies and market desks will update guidance through the week as official statistics and hearing calendars firm up. Check the source links on this story for the latest filings rather than recycled social posts.
InfoHandle will follow up if regulators publish revised notices, if auction or enrollment deadlines move, or if emergency orders change travel and clinic hours in the affected areas.