Strongest Earthquake In 25 Years Rocks Taiwan, Killing 9 People And Stranding 70 Workers In Quarries

Hualien, Taiwan — The largest earthquake in a quarter-century shook Taiwan during the morning rush hour Wednesday, killing nine people, stranding scores of workers at quarries, and sending other inhabitants fleeing through damaged buildings’ windows.

The quake, which injured over 1,000 people, struck off the shore of rural, mountainous Hualien County. Several buildings tilted at sharp angles, and their ground floors were crushed. As tremors shook the island nation, tiles fell from older buildings in Taipei, just over 150 kilometers (93 miles) away. Schools also evacuated pupils to sports areas.

Strongest Earthquake In 25 Years Rocks Taiwan, Killing 9 People And Stranding 70 Workers In Quarries

Rescuers fanned out in Hualien, searching for trapped persons and using excavators to stabilize damaged houses. The number of missing, trapped, or stranded individuals changed as officials discovered additional people in distress and sought to find or free them.

According to Taiwan’s National Fire Service, the 70 workers stranded at two rock quarries are safe, but falling rocks have damaged the roads leading to them. Six workers were scheduled to be flown on Thursday.

In the early hours after the earthquake, neighbors and rescue workers were seen on TV carrying residents, including toddlers, out windows and onto the street after doors fused shut during the shaking.

Earthquakes frequently shake Taiwan, and its people are among the most prepared for them. However, authorities did not issue any alerts since they expected a small earthquake. The eventual quake was powerful enough to startle even those accustomed to shaking.

“I’ve become accustomed to earthquakes. But it was the first time an earthquake shocked me to tears,” said Hsien-Hsien Keng, a Taipei resident who lives on the fifth floor of an apartment building. “The earthquake woke me up. I’d never experienced such extreme shaking before.

According to the fire department, the earthquake occurred just before 8 a.m. and killed at least nine individuals. According to the local United Daily News, three hikers were murdered in rockslides in Taroko National Park in Hualien, while a van driver died when debris collided with his vehicle.

A tsunami warning was issued but later withdrawn.

At least 1,011 persons have been reported injured. After the quake knocked down phone networks, authorities lost communication with 50 hotel personnel in minibusses in the national park; three hiked to the hotel, while the others remained stuck.

Strongest Earthquake In 25 Years Rocks Taiwan, Killing 9 People And Stranding 70 Workers In Quarries

The earthquake and its aftershocks triggered 24 landslides and damaged roads, bridges, and tunnels. The national assembly, a converted school erected before World War II, and sections of Taoyuan’s main airport, located south of Taipei, all suffered moderate damage.

Hualien Mayor Hsu Chen-wei reported that 48 residential buildings were destroyed in the city, which shares its name with the county. Hsu stated that water and electrical supplies were being restored.

According to Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring service, the quake was 7.2, but the US Geological Survey rated it 7.4. It struck roughly 18 kilometers (11 miles) off Hualien, Taiwan’s east coast, and was about 35 kilometers (21 miles) deep. Several aftershocks followed.

Following the earthquake, traffic along the east coast stopped as landslides and falling debris struck tunnels and roadways. Train service was suspended across the 23 million-person island, with some tracks twisted by the quake’s force. Subway service was suspended in Taipei, where sections of a freshly completed elevated line ripped apart but did not collapse.

The initial alarm following the earthquake dissipated swiftly on the island, which prepares for such catastrophes with exercises in schools and notifications distributed through public media and mobile phones. According to Stephen Gao, a seismologist and professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology, Taiwan’s earthquake preparation is among the best in the world, with tight building rules and a world-class seismological network.

By lunchtime, the metro station in Beitou, a busy northern Taipei neighborhood, was back in full swing. People were commuting to work, and others were arriving to explore the hot springs or hike the mountain pathways at the base of an extinct volcano.

Chinese media said the earthquake was felt in Shanghai and other provinces along China’s southeastern coast. China and Taiwan are approximately 160 kilometers (100 miles) apart.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said that a 30-centimeter (approximately 1-foot) tsunami was observed on the coast of Yonaguni island around 15 minutes after the earthquake occurred. Smaller waves were also observed on Ishigaki and Miyako islands. By Wednesday afternoon, all regionwide advisories had been withdrawn.

Taiwan is located along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a line of seismic faults that encircles the Pacific Ocean and is the source of most of the world’s earthquakes.

Strongest Earthquake In 25 Years Rocks Taiwan, Killing 9 People And Stranding 70 Workers In Quarries

In 2018, a severe earthquake that struck Hualien left 17 people dead and destroyed a historic hotel. Taiwan’s greatest earthquake in recent years happened on September 21, 1999, with a magnitude of 7.7, killing 2,400 people, wounding around 100,000, and demolishing thousands of buildings.

The economic impact of the earthquake has yet to be calculated. Taiwan is the world’s top manufacturer of sophisticated computer chips and other high-tech things extremely sensitive to seismic activity. Parts of the energy grid were shut down, potentially disrupting the supply chain and resulting in financial losses.

Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC, which provides semiconductors to businesses like Apple, said it had evacuated workers from some of its factories in Hsinchu, southwest of Taipei. Hsinchu officials stated that water and electricity supplies to all enterprises in the city’s research park were regular.

The Taiwan Stock Exchange started as usual on Wednesday, with the index fluctuating between losses and gains.

SOURCE – (AP)