TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The government mobilized the Navy to help with the transportation of cars and travelers after a landslide blocked a key tunnel on the east coast, reports said Friday (Jan. 13).

Falling rocks crushed a rock shed connecting two tunnels on the Suhua Highway linking Yilan County with Hualien County on Wednesday, making traffic impossible for several days. Crews are working to remove rocks from the road before the Jan. 20 start of the Lunar New Year holiday, and the job is expected to be completed Sunday (Jan. 15) evening.

In order to help out with traffic, extra rail services were launched, but the government also told the Navy to prepare a ship ready to ferry cars and people between Suao and Hualien.

The LST-227 landing ship left Keelung Thursday (Jan. 12) and arrived in the area off Hualien by 11 a.m. Friday, ready to help out, the Liberty Times reported. The Ministry of Transportation had also mobilized three civilian ferry ships, but because 130 cars arrived to board one ship in Hualien, its sailing had to be postponed from 11 a.m. to 1:10 p.m.

The second ship carried 306 passengers and 32 cars, and the third service 25 passengers. While the extra sailings had initially been planned to last two days, they have now been extended until Sunday.

Due to regulations about cargo ships, drivers were not allowed to drive their own car into the ferry, but had to let staff complete the task, per the Liberty Times.

Removing rubble from the Suhua Highway will reportedly take until Sunday evening. (CNA photo)