CHANGHUA (TVBS News) — Typhoon Koinu, bearing down on Taiwan with full force, uprooted a large banyan tree in Lukang Township, Changhua County on Wednesday (Oct. 4). In an unexpected twist, the fallen tree also unearthed a gravestone.
The engraved dates on the tombstone point to either 1924 or 1984, and the Department of Civil Affairs in Changhua County has undertaken the task of identifying the tombstone's owner.
Following the incident, cleanup crews were immediately dispatched to the site, removing the massive boughs of the uprooted tree.
While the falling tree harmed no passersby, a parked scooter at the scene was crushed beneath its weight. The scooter's owner screamed with dismay as an excavator inflicted further damage on her vehicle.
Typhoon Koinu's strong gusts and heavy rainfall have wreaked wider havoc across Taiwan, bringing down street lights, road signals, and trees — some of which have even crushed roadside-parked cars.
Residents are urged to exercise extra caution before the typhoon gradually veers away on Friday.
