62-year-old OFW killed in highway crash in Taiwan

A 62-year-old Filipina was killed in a three-vehicle crash along a highway in Miaoli County, Taiwan, while she was on her way to the airport to catch a flight to Manila.

GMA's 24 Oras reported that the accident left Ebelia Escalona Cortes dead on Aug. 19 and two other Pinoys injured.

Per a report by local media outlet Focus Taiwan, the crash happened on the northbound lanes of National Freeway No. 1 in the Sanyi section of Miaoli County.

The OFW was one of three passengers in a van heading to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, according to Taiwan police. The van initially rear-ended a Tesla sedan at around the 147-kilometer mark of the freeway.

After the initial collision, the van driver, a 45-year-old man surnamed Chiang, and the 36-year-old Tesla driver, a woman surnamed Lee, got out of their vehicles and stood between the two vehicles to discuss the crash.

A third vehicle, driven by a 51-year-old woman surnamed Lin, then struck the van. The impact pushed the vehicle into Chiang, Lee, and the Tesla, resulting in fatal injuries, police said.

When rescuers arrived, the Filipino passenger and both drivers were in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. She and Chiang were later pronounced dead. Lee initially regained a heartbeat after resuscitation but remained in a coma, per local authorities.

An investigation into the tragedy is ongoing.