Taiwan earthquake: Nine dead, over 1,000 injured, dozens missing and trapped

Officials said the quake was the strongest to shake the island in decades, and warned of more tremors in the days ahead.

A rescue worker in a bright yellow uniform stands near the cordoned-off site of a leaning building.

The earthquake left some buildings in Hualien, eastern Taiwan, tilted at precarious angles. Source: AAP / Johnson Lai

Key Points
  • A major earthquake struck just off the eastern coastline of Taiwan on Wednesday morning.
  • The quake left nine people dead and injured more than 1,000, while 52 people remain missing.
  • It also knocked out power in several parts of Taiwan's capital and collapsed buildings in another city.
The number of people injured in a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in eastern Taiwan climbed past 1,000 on Thursday though the death toll remained steady at nine.

The quake, the strongest in 25 years, hit on Wednesday morning just as people were readying to go to work and school, with an epicentre just off the coast of the largely rural and sparsely populated eastern county of Hualien.

Taiwan's fire department said the number of injuries had reached 1,038, putting the total number of missing at 52. Around a dozen of the hotel workers on their way to a resort in Taroko National Park had been located, with 38 still listed as missing.

The fire department said its rescue work was focused on people trapped on the cross-island highway, which traverses the gorge connecting Hualien with Taiwan's west coast and is a popular tourist destination.

Authorities are using drones and helicopters to look for people in the gorge and will drop supplies to them when they are found.
A large group of people in yellow jumpsuit uniforms stand amid the wreckage of buildings.
Firefighters prepare to move victims' bodies outside a collapsed building during a rescue operation following an earthquake in Hualien City, eastern Taiwan. Source: AAP / ChiangYing-ying
Others who had been trapped are gradually being found and taken to safety.

On Thursday, a helicopter rescued six people who had been trapped in a mining area, the fire department said.

In Hualien, some buildings tilted at precarious angles in the mountainous, sparsely populated county, near the epicentre of the 7.2 magnitude quake, which struck just offshore and triggered massive landslides.

Linda Chen, 48, said her apartment in downtown Hualien city had been so badly damaged in an earlier earthquake in 2018 that they had to move house.
But her new apartment block was damaged too in the latest earthquake.

"We worry the house could collapse anytime. We thought we had already experienced it once in Hualien and it would not hit us again, because God has to be fair," she said.

"We are frightened. We are so nervous."

The quake hit at a depth of 15.5km just as people were headed for work and school.

Video showed rescuers using ladders to help trapped people out of windows.

Strong tremors in Taipei forced the subway system to close briefly, although most lines resumed service.
A satellite image shows the location and times of earthquakes off the coast of Taiwan.
Source: SBS News
Fire authorities said they had already relocated 70 people trapped in tunnels near Hualien city, including two German citizens.

A woman who runs a bed-and-breakfast in Hualien City said she scrambled to calm her guests who were scared by the quake.

"This is the biggest earthquake I have ever experienced," said the woman, who asked to be identified only by her family name Chan.

The government put the number of injured at 946.

"At present, the most important thing, the top priority, is to rescue people," President-elect Lai Ching-te said, speaking outside one of the collapsed buildings in Hualien.

The rail link to the area was expected to re-open on Thursday, Lai, who is set to take office next month, told reporters.
A building leaning over at a 45 degree angle with several onlookers in the foreground.
A partially collapsed building in Hualien, eastern Taiwan, as seen in video footage run by TVBS. Source: AAP / AP
Taiwan's air force said six F-16 fighter jets had been slightly damaged at a major base in the city from which jets are often scrambled to see off incursions by China's air force but the aircraft are expected to return to service very soon.

Chinese state media said the quake was felt in the southeastern province of Fujian while a Reuters witness said it was also felt in the commercial hub of Shanghai.

Aftershocks could still be felt in Taipei, with more than 50 recorded, weather officials said.
Several people in yellow uniforms stand in front of a collapsed building
Members of a search and rescue team prepare to enter a leaning building after a strong earthquake shook the Hualien area of Taiwan on Wednesday. Source: Getty / Anadolu
Most power has been restored after the quake, electricity utility Taipower said, with the island's two nuclear power stations unaffected.

The official Central News Agency said the quake was the biggest since one of magnitude 7.6 in 1999 that killed about 2,400 people and damaged or destroyed 50,000 buildings.

Taiwan weather officials ranked Wednesday's quake in Hualien as "Upper 6", or the second-highest level of intensity on a scale ranging from 1 to 7.

Such quakes collapse walls unless they are made of reinforced concrete blocks while people cannot stand upright and must crawl in order to move, experts say.

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4 min read
Published 3 April 2024 12:25pm
Updated 4 April 2024 1:38pm
Source: AAP, Reuters



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