Dragon Boat Festival Travel Disrupted by Tunnel Crash, Causing Hours-Long Delays

The Dragon Boat Festival holiday's return journey in Taiwan was marred by a significant traffic jam on the northbound Hsuehshan Tunnel route Sunday evening. A five-vehicle collision occurred around 6 p.m. in the tunnel, leading to the temporary closure of the northbound lanes.

The accident happened just minutes after the "high-occupancy vehicle" (HOV) restrictions were lifted, exacerbating the situation during the peak travel period. The backup stretched approximately 5 kilometers from the Yilan entrance of the tunnel, creating a scene described by drivers as a "large parking lot."

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It's over, it's going to be jammed until midnight.

Authorities from the Freeway Bureau's Pinglin Control Center responded to clear the scene. The outer lane of the northbound tunnel was reopened at 6:54 p.m., followed by the full reopening of both lanes at 6:59 p.m. However, the backlog of vehicles meant that traffic did not fully clear until around midnight, with normal flow resuming by early Monday morning.

Four individuals sustained injuries in the crash and were taken to the hospital. Fortunately, their injuries were not reported as severe. The incident caused considerable frustration for many travelers, with some noting that holiday return traffic typically clears up much earlier in the evening.

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the northbound lane was completely closed