The chairman of Jota Food, Yu Kuo-chi, 64, has died after the car he was driving crashed through a guardrail and plunged from a bridge in Hualien County, local authorities said.
Yu was driving alone along County Road 193 when his vehicle broke through a roadside barrier and fell from Guanglong Bridge in Sincheng Township.
The circumstances surrounding the crash remain unclear, according to the Hualien County Fire Department.
Emergency services received a report of the accident at approximately 3 p.m. When rescuers arrived, they found the vehicle severely damaged, with Yu trapped inside.
Rescue personnel used specialized equipment to cut through the wreckage and free him. He was found unconscious, without breathing or a detectable heartbeat.
Rescuers immediately began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) before rushing him to Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital for emergency treatment. However, he was later pronounced dead, the fire department said.
Police have launched an investigation to determine what caused the vehicle to leave the road and plunge from the bridge. Investigators have obtained surveillance footage from intersections near the crash site, as well as recordings from the car’s dashboard camera, to help establish the circumstances of the accident.
Yu’s death marks the loss of a prominent figure in Taiwan’s food industry. Jota Food was founded in 1970 by his father, Yu Tsung-po, and operates four brands.
The company’s businesses include Amis Mochi, the Chihsing Tan Katsuo Museum, the Taitung Amis Custard Apple Mochi Museum, and Digenwei-Wanwei Fan Paradise.
Authorities have yet to establish the cause of the fatal crash, and investigations are ongoing.
