Two police officers in Taichung were hurt when a huge roadside tree tore out of the ground and fell on them, though both escaped with minor injuries.

• The tree came down late at night at a busy intersection in Taichung's Central District, right beside an elementary school wall.
• The officers had stopped their patrol car and set out traffic cones after seeing branches dropping into the road and blocking traffic.
• While clearing the debris, the whole tree ripped up by the roots and crashed down on them, briefly pinning them before they pulled themselves free.
• Both men, in their 50s, had head swelling and scrapes on their arms and knees, but their lives were not in danger.
• Heavy rain earlier that evening is blamed for loosening the tree, which left a torn-up patch of exposed soil and blocked most of the roadway.

Outlook: City crews are cutting the trunk apart to reopen the road, and more rain-weakened trees could come down during the storm season.