Seven injured as van and car crash into paddy field in Yilan

A serious traffic accident in Sanxing Township, Yilan County, on Tuesday afternoon resulted in seven injuries when a car and a van collided, with both vehicles ending up in a paddy field. The crash occurred at the intersection of Zhaolin Road and Gongzhao 12th Road.

The car, driven by an 81-year-old man identified by the surname Lu, was carrying his wife and a foreign caregiver. The van was operated by a 23-year-old rafting instructor surnamed Wu, who had three other instructors in the vehicle. The impact was so severe that the car was flung into the field, its airbags deploying, while the van's front end plunged into the paddy field, its rear remaining on the road with debris scattered.

Emergency services, including multiple fire stations, responded to the scene. Fortunately, all seven individuals involved were conscious and managed to extricate themselves before being taken to Luodong Bo'ai Hospital and Yangming Jiaotong Hospital. Police confirmed that both drivers tested negative for alcohol.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the collision, which happened at an intersection without traffic signals. The van belonged to a local rafting company, and the instructors were reportedly transporting rafting equipment back to their base after a morning tour.