Fierce earthquake rattles Taiwan, killing 9 and injuring more than 1,000

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4 Apr 2024

Taiwan's Huanglien (AP) — On Wednesday morning, Taiwan was shaken by the largest earthquake in the past 25 years, which resulted in nine fatalities, numerous stranded individuals at quarries and a national park, and some locals frantically jumping out of damaged buildings.

The earthquake, which occurred just before 8 a.m. and was centred off the shore of remote, mountainous Hualien County, caused more than 1,000 injuries. Some buildings in the area leaned at sharp angles, crushing their ground floors. Aftershocks caused tiles from older buildings in Taipei, the country's capital, to fall, forcing schools to relocate their children to sports grounds just over 150 kilometres (93 miles) away.
In Hualien, rescuers dispersed around the area, searching for anyone who might be trapped and stabilizing damaged structures with excavators. As authorities learned of more persons in distress and sought to identify or free them, the number of people who were missing, trapped, or stranded changed

According to Taiwan's National Fire Agency, about 70 workers who were stuck in two rock quarries were unharmed, but the roads leading to them were harmed by falling rocks. On Thursday, there were plans to airlift six workers.
Television footage from the hours following the earthquake showed neighbours and rescue personnel hoisting locals—among them a toddler—through windows and out onto the street. A few doors had fused shut due to the vibration.
Though its people are among the most prepared for earthquakes, Taiwan is frequently rocked by them. Nonetheless, authorities did not issue any alerts because they anticipated a quite small earthquake. Even those who are accustomed to such shaking were startled by the final earthquake's strength.
In this image taken from video footage run by TVBS, a man checks a partially collapsed building in Hualien, eastern Taiwan, on April 3, 2024. (TVBS via AP)

“I’ve grown accustomed to (earthquakes). But today was the first time I was scared to tears by an earthquake,” said Hsien-Hsien Keng, who lives in a fifth-floor apartment in Taipei. ”I was awakened by the earthquake. I had never felt such intense shaking before.”
Taiwan's fire agency reports that the earthquake claimed the lives of at least nine individuals. The state-run Central News Agency said that the majority of the deaths were caused by falling rocks, including four individuals who were struck inside Taroko National Park. According to the news agency, one person perished in a damaged residential structure.
No harm was done when a modest tsunami washed up on islands in southern Japan.
There were at least 1,011 recorded injuries. After the earthquake brought down phone networks, authorities first lost communication with fifty hotel employees who were trapped in minibuses in the park; three of the employees managed to walk to the hotel. According to the state news agency, over two dozen tourists were also left stranded in the area.
Numerous landslides, and damaged roads, bridges, and tunnels were caused by the earthquake and its aftershocks. Minor damage also occurred to the national legislative, a pre-World War II school that was converted, and parts of Taoyuan's primary airport, which is located just south of Taipei.

In this image taken from video footage run by TVBS, residents rescue a child in Hualien, eastern Taiwan, April 3, 2024. (TVBS via AP)

Huang The city, which has the same name as the county, suffered damage to 48 residential buildings, according to Mayor Hsu Chen-wei. Hsu stated that efforts were underway to restore the supply of electricity and water.
The U.S. Geological Survey measured the magnitude of the earthquake at 7.4, however Taiwan's earthquake monitoring agency reported it to be 7.2. It was roughly 35 kilometers (21 miles) deep and struck roughly 18 kilometers (11 miles) from Hualien. Aftershocks kept happening.

Following the earthquake, traffic on the East Coast came to a near complete stop as highways and tunnels were struck by falling debris and landslides. Around the 23 million-person island, train service was interrupted. The impact of the earthquake caused some lines to twist, and Taipei's freshly built elevated line split apart but did not collapse, affecting subway operations.

In this image taken from video footage run by TVBS, a partially collapsed building is seen in Hualien, eastern Taiwan, on April 3, 2024. (TVBS via AP)

On the island, where drills are held at schools and notifications are sent out via public media and cell phones, the initial fear soon subsided. Seismologist Stephen Gao, a professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology, claims that Taiwan has among of the most advanced preparation standards in the world, with stringent building regulations and a top-notch seismological network.
By midday, the bustling Beitou metro station in the northern Taipei neighbourhood was once more alive with people making their way to work and others arriving to enjoy the hot springs or hike the mountain trails beneath an extinct volcano.
Chinese media said that the earthquake was felt in Shanghai and other provinces along the country's southeast coast. About 160 kilometres (100 miles) separate China from Taiwan.

Huang The city, which has the same name as the county, suffered damage to 48 residential buildings, according to Mayor Hsu Chen-wei. Hsu stated that efforts were underway to restore the supply of electricity and water.
The U.S. Geological Survey measured the magnitude of the earthquake at 7.4, however, Taiwan's earthquake monitoring agency reported it to be 7.2. It was roughly 35 kilometres (21 miles) deep and struck roughly 18 kilometres (11 miles) from Hualien. Aftershocks kept happening.
Following the earthquake, traffic on the East Coast came to a near complete stop as highways and tunnels were struck by falling debris and landslides. Around the 23 million-person island, train service was interrupted. The impact of the earthquake caused some lines to twist, and Taipei's freshly built elevated line split apart but did not collapse, affecting subway operations.
On the island, where drills are held at schools and notifications are sent out via public media and cell phones, the initial fear soon subsided. Seismologist Stephen Gao, a professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology, claims that Taiwan has among the most advanced preparation standards in the world, with stringent building regulations and a top-notch seismological network.
By midday, the bustling Beitou metro station in the northern Taipei neighbourhood was once more alive with people making their way to work and others arriving to enjoy the hot springs or hike the mountain trails beneath an extinct volcano.
Chinese media said that the earthquake was felt in Shanghai and other provinces along the country's southeast coast. About 160 kilometres (100 miles) separate China from Taiwan.

People evacuate to higher ground after a tsunami warning following a powerful earthquake in Naha, Okinawa prefecture, Japan, April 3, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

About fifteen minutes after the earthquake, a tsunami of thirty centimeters, or roughly one foot, was spotted off the coast of Yonaguni island, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. In the islands of Miyako and Ishigaki, smaller waves were measured. By Wednesday afternoon, there were no longer any alerts in the area.
Taiwan is located along the "Ring of Fire," a chain of seismic faults that circles the Pacific Ocean and is the epicentre of most earthquakes.
Hualien last had a major earthquake in 2018, which destroyed a historic hotel and the deaths of 17 people. The biggest earthquake to strike Taiwan in recent memory, measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale, struck on September 21, 1999, destroying thousands of buildings, 2,400 fatalities, and an estimated 100,000 injuries.
It is still unknown how the earthquake will affect the economy. Taiwan is the world's foremost producer of highly advanced computer chips and other high-tech products that are extremely susceptible to seismic activity. A portion of the electrical system was shut down, which would have caused supply chain interruptions and monetary losses.
The Hsinchu, southwest of Taipei, plants of Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC, which provides semiconductors to businesses like Apple, announced that part of their workers had been evacuated. Authorities in Hsinchu said that all of the enterprises in the city's technology park were receiving their regular supplies of electricity and water.