Strongest earthquake in 25 years hits Taiwan, 9 dead, 50 missing Written by: Reuters

Written by Yimou Li and Fabian Hamacher

HUALIEN, Taiwan (Reuters) – Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in at least 25 years killed nine people and injured more than 900 on Wednesday, leaving 50 workers missing heading to a hotel in a national park by minibus. It became unknown.

In sparsely populated and mountainous Hualien County, near the epicenter of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake, some buildings tilted at dangerous angles and the earthquake occurred offshore around 8 a.m. (midnight Japan time), causing a large-scale earthquake. caused a landslide.

Linda Chen, 48, said her apartment in central Hualien City suffered severe damage in the 2018 earthquake, forcing her to move. However, her new apartment was also damaged in the earthquake.

“We are worried that our house could collapse at any time. We experienced it once in Hualien, so we thought it would never happen again. God must be fair.” she said.

“We’re scared. We’re very nervous.”

The quake struck at a depth of 15.5 kilometers (9.6 miles) just as people were on their way to work or school, prompting a tsunami warning for southern Japan and the Philippines, which was later lifted.

Video showed rescue workers using ladders to help people trapped through windows. Taipei’s subway system was temporarily closed due to strong shaking, but most lines have resumed service.

Fire authorities said they had already evacuated about 70 people, including two German nationals, who were trapped in a tunnel near the city of Hualien.

However, they were unable to contact the 50 workers who were on board four minibuses heading to a hotel in the national park’s Taroko Gorge, and rescue teams are currently searching for them. Another 80 people are trapped in the mine area, but it was not immediately clear whether they were inside the mine.

fighter jet

A woman who runs a guesthouse in Hualien City said she had to scramble to calm her guests who were frightened by the earthquake.

“This is the biggest earthquake I’ve ever experienced,” said the woman, who asked to be identified only by her last name, Chan.

The government announced the number of injured at 946.

Speaking outside a collapsed building in Hualien City, President-elect Lai Chingde said: “The most important thing at this moment, the top priority, is to rescue people.”

Rai, who is due to take office next month, told reporters that rail service to the region is scheduled to resume on Thursday.

The White House said the United States stands ready to provide any necessary assistance.

Taiwan’s air force said six F-16 fighter jets sustained minor damage at the city’s main base, where jets are frequently scrambled to thwart Chinese air force incursions, but the planes were expected to return to duty soon. He is expected to return to .

In Japan, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced that the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.7 and that several small tsunamis had reached parts of southern Okinawa Prefecture, lowering the tsunami warning to a advisory.

In the Philippines, earthquake authorities warned coastal residents in several provinces to move to higher ground.

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

chip supply

Aftershocks may still be felt in Taipei, where more than 50 aftershocks have been recorded, according to weather officials.

According to power company Thai Power, most power has been restored after the earthquake, and the island’s two nuclear power plants are unaffected.

Taiwan’s high-speed rail operator said there would be delays in service due to inspections, but no damage to trains or injuries had been reported.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., a major chip supplier to Apple (NASDAQ:) and Nvidia (NASDAQ:), evacuated some manufacturing plants and said safety systems were working normally.

“To ensure the safety of our employees, some factories were evacuated in accordance with company protocols,” the semiconductor giant said in a statement, adding that employees have since begun returning to work.

TSMC’s Taipei-listed shares closed 1.3% lower, while the benchmark index largely ignored the impact of the earthquake and closed 0.6% lower.

The earthquake was the largest since a magnitude 7.6 quake in 1999 that killed about 2,400 people and damaged or destroyed 50,000 buildings, the state-run Central News Agency said.

Taiwan’s meteorological authorities ranked Wednesday’s Hualien quake as a “magnitude 6 upper,” or the second highest on a scale of 1 to 7.

In such an earthquake, experts say, walls will collapse unless they are made of reinforced concrete blocks, and people will not be able to stand upright and will have to crawl to get around.