On July 9th, a bizarre and tragic event struck a pig farm in Chiayi County, Taiwan. According to reports from ETtoday News Cloud and SET News, more than a hundred pigs suddenly collapsed after emitting agonized screams, dying instantly with blood pouring from their orifices. The shocking scene left officials and witnesses stunned as county authorities rushed to investigate.
The incident followed the devastation of Typhoon Danas, which had severely impacted southern Taiwan. In the days after the typhoon, persistent torrential rains battered the central and southern regions, causing widespread damage. In Chiayi, power outages affected up to 240,000 households. As Taiwan Power Company crews worked urgently to restore electricity, an unexpected tragedy unfolded.
On the night of July 9th, a brief restoration of power led to an electrical leakage at a livestock farm in Yizhu Township. Many pigs were electrocuted in the incident. The Chiayi County Pig Farmers Association, the county's Livestock Conservation Division, and the Animal Disease Control Institute were notified and dispatched a team to the site on July 10th to investigate and discuss follow-up measures.
However, as the officials conducted their inspection, heavy rain suddenly began to fall again. The surviving pigs started to scream in distress, then abruptly collapsed, dying in the same gruesome manner as before. The horrific sight left everyone at the scene pale with fear. Fortunately, the investigators were all wearing rubber boots, which insulated them from the electric current and prevented further injury.
Notably, the main power supply had already been confirmed shut off prior to the inspection, yet the electrical leakage still occurred. Authorities do not rule out the possibility that a roadside high-voltage utility pole may have been the cause, but the exact reason remains under further investigation.
It is estimated that over 100 pigs were killed by the high-voltage electrocution, with losses roughly calculated to be in the millions of New Taiwan Dollars.
