If hikers encounter a bear, they should remain calm, keep their distance, and slowly back away while facing the animal. They should not approach the bear or try to get closer for photos, the agency said. Officials said hikers should not play dead or climb trees.

One of the fatalities occurred in Kaohsiung’s Shanlin District (杉林區) on Thursday evening. Police said a 73-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃) was swept away after falling into a drainage ditch while walking toward farmland with her husband. Her body was later recovered downstream.

Tourism officials say the added water recreation options should help Dapeng Bay attract more domestic and international visitors.

County officials said about 5,000 people attended the event, which has become one of Jiadong’s main Dragon Boat Festival activities. This year’s program also included a watermelon design contest, a watermelon-eating contest, and a farmers’ market.

The Central Weather Administration (中央氣象署) issued a heavy rain advisory Monday morning for nine cities and counties, including Kaohsiung and Pingtung, as moist southwesterly winds continued to affect Taiwan.

Speaking in Pingtung, President Lai Ching-te said the central government would continue working on water, electricity, land and talent policies to support industry…as well as measures to attract international talent.

The Pingtung Department of Transportation and Tourism (屏東縣政府交通旅遊處), citing Tourism Administration figures, said South Korean visitors made up nearly 12% of all arrivals to Taiwan last year. About 116,000 South Korean travelers visited Pingtung, the department said.

The county government said illegal operators have used methods including blacking out license plates, covering waste with clean soil, and falsifying documents to disguise dumping. Pingtung County Magistrate Chou Chun-mi (周春米) said the bureau has introduced an AI recognition system this year to improve monitoring in remote dumping hot spots. The county has installed 50 AI surveillance cameras at 25 high-risk locations, allowing the system to automatically flag suspicious vehicles or dumping behavior around the clock.

According to recent reporting, there are estimates that by 2051, daily passenger volume at the future HSR Pingtung station could exceed 7,000, with peak-hour traffic approaching 900 passengers. Supporters say the project would improve access to Pingtung and support wider development around the future station. But the latest traffic projections show that the benefits of high-speed rail will depend not only on the rail line itself, but also on whether local roads and connecting transport can keep pace.

A cluster of planned industrial, medical, and transport projects is drawing renewed attention to northern Pingtung, as local officials and developers frame the area around National Freeway No. 3 as an emerging growth corridor for southern Taiwan.