Woman Drowns During River Tubing Excursion 花蓮溪漂漂河活動 遊客疑泳圈翻覆溺斃

A woman on a river tubing trip drowned near Fonglin's Zhongxing Bridge on July 19 after getting caught under a tetrapod. As river tubing is relatively new in Taiwan, there are no regulations or safety guidelines.

Tourists stand on the riverbank, unsure what to do after a member of their group fell into the river.

Kao Tzu-hsiang, 2nd District HQ Deputy Chief, Fire Department, Hualien County: “The victim was dead on arrival. We tried to resuscitate her with an AED, CPR and a LUCAS device. We took her to the Fonglin Branch of Taipei Veterans General Hospital.”

The accident occurred at 2 p.m. on the 18th. A group of 19 was on a river tubing trip in Hualien when one member of the group, a 50-year-old Taichung woman surnamed Liu, got separated from the group and subsequently drowned. She had no vital signs when she arrived at the hospital. The legality of the activity is now in question.

Chu Mao-sheng, Chief Detective, Fonglin Police Station: “We have already launched an investigation into this outdoor experience company and its employees. If they were organizing illegal excursions, we will file negligent homicide charges.”

Chen Yung-nan, Tourism Industry Section Chief, Tourism Department, Hualien County: “The company is aboveboard, but it has to bear the responsibility of taking tourists onto the water.”

Officials say river activities in Hualien have not been suspended but excursion companies are required to have tourist insurance. Only two guides were assigned to the group of 19, but it is unclear how many were legally required.

一接獲有人溺水的消息，花蓮鳳林鎮的警義消立刻出動救難隊員前往搜救，但抵達現場後只見到一群遊客在岸上，也不知道該怎麼辦，溺水者則是還卡在消波塊底拉不起來。

花蓮消防二大副大隊長高子翔表示：「患者OHCA，我們壽豐91立刻實施AED以及CPR、LUCAS，患者我們送鳳林榮民醫院。」

這起溺水意外是發生在18日下午2時，一群19人團參加花蓮溪漂漂河活動，其中一位來自台中的50歲劉姓女子，救生圈脫離隊伍後遇水流翻覆溺水太久，送醫不治後，活動合法性引起關注。

鳳林分局偵查隊長朱茂昇指出，現在已針對本案進行調查，將針對相關的戶外體驗公司還有相關人員作調查，如果發現不法，我們將會依照過失致死去移送法辦。」

花蓮縣政府觀光旅遊處觀光產業科長陳勇男表示：「廠商的資格基本上是沒有問題的，但是對於帶客到開放海水域去，他勢必要負起相當的責任。」

總管處則是回應，目前花蓮溪水域未公告禁止、限制相關水域遊憩活動，但有規定帶客業者必須要為遊客投保相關責任險，此案19人只配兩個教練是否合乎規定，以及當時確切的事發經過還要再調查。