A huge landslide occurred on March 27 at the Provincial Highway 8, which is located in Hualien. The incident is thought to be related to recent earthquakes and frequent rain.
Waiting motorists are reminded that the upcoming road section has suffered a landslide and to quickly traverse the dangerous section. At 3:30 p.m. on March 27, a landslide occurred at the 117.4-kilometer mark of Provincial Highway 8 in Hualien, and huge amounts of earth as well as rocks blocked the roadway. This is thought to be related to recent earthquakes and rainfall. Workers began repairing the road from both ends.
Chang Pei-yun, Dep. Director, Taroko Branch, 4th Maintenance Office, DGH: “The volume of soil and rock that fell this time is over 1,000 cubic meters. The extent of the affected road is about 50 meters long. A section of the roadbed was also damaged. We will first clear away loose soil and rocks on slopes.”
The police closed off the road on the west side and limited access. It also sent officers to monitor the scene. No one witnessed the landslide, so workers had to dig cautiously in case there were any people or vehicles buried under the soil. Luckily, they did not find any victims. The road reopened at 6:50 p.m.
Juan Han-kuei, Deputy Chief, Hehuan Police Station: “As of now, there are no casualties. The police monitored the entire process, and the road was just reopened. There were no people or vehicles buried by the landslide.”
As the soil and rocks on adjacent slopes became loose and the line of sight is poor at night, the Directorate General of Highways closed the road from the 114.6-kilometer mark to the 151.7-kilometer mark at 8:30 p.m. The road reopened at 7 a.m. on March 28, although the rainy weather meant that controls could be reinstated at any time. Motorists are reminded to take extra precautions due to the recent earthquakes and rain.
工程人員嚴加戒護，提醒因為土石坍方而等待許久的車輛，加速通過危險路段。時間回到27日下午3時半，花蓮縣台8線117.4公里處，靠近關原附近，大片土石坍方阻斷道路，不時還有落石掉落，疑似和近日東部地區連續地震，加上山區降雨有關，工務團隊從東、西面同步展開搶修。
太魯閣工務段副段長張佩筠說明：「這次坍方的土石方的數量，大概是1000立方公尺以上，那我們影響路面的範圍，大概是有50公尺長度，路基也有一部分的損壞，後續我們會先把上邊坡一些鬆動的土石去做一個清理。」
警方除了在西側關原段將柵門關起，管制人車通行，也派員到場監看，由於坍方時沒有目擊人員，因此工務段人員謹慎挖掘，擔心有人車埋在土石堆下，所幸清除過程中，沒有發現人員掩埋，並在晚間6時50分搶通道路。
合歡派出所副所長阮漢魁指出：「目前沒有人員傷亡，警方在現場全程監看，剛剛搶通的情形，沒有人員或者車輛，被埋在土石堆下的情況。」
由於邊坡土石鬆動，加上夜間視線不佳，台8線關原114.6公里至洛韶151.7公里路段，在晚間8時半實施夜間預警性封路，雖然一早7時已經恢復通車，但因持續降雨，仍會視狀況隨時管制通行，公路總局呼籲用路人，近期地震、強降雨頻繁，行駛山區道路務必要注意安全。
