HUALIEN (TVBS News) — The Taiwan Hualien District Prosecutors Office (花蓮地檢署) on Monday (Dec. 23) officially declared the death of a Singaporean couple who vanished during April's earthquake. With 265 days having passed and their bodies still missing, their family remains in a state of distress and uncertainty.
The couple was last seen on April 3, while visiting Taroko National Park (太魯閣國家公園). Surveillance footage captured them disembarking at Shakadang Station (砂卡礑站). The Hualien County Fire Department (花蓮縣消防局) suspects they were near Wujianwu-5D Cabin (五間屋) on the Shakadang Trail (砂卡礑步道) when the quake struck. After numerous search attempts, operations were suspended due to continuous landslides.
Recently, the couple's family traveled to Hualien, seeking help from the prosecutors office with evidence from the incident. The court approved their petition, officially recognizing the couple's disappearance as a fatal incident, setting noon on April 3 as the time of death. Despite the declaration, the family remains hopeful for their return. The earthquake took eight lives along the Shakadang Trail.
