Rescuers try to reach stranded group that includes Canadians
Canadian English teacher Jonathan McGill said the shaking from Taiwan’s largest earthquake in 25 years was so forceful that he thought his apartment building might collapse.
McGill, a former Ottawa resident who has been living in Hsinchu, Taiwan, for the past seven years, described the quake Wednesday as something he has never felt before, with his ceiling fan swaying about 30 centimetres off its axis.
“Today was the first time I ever thought to myself, what is the breaking point basically of a building?” he said. “Because it’s not supposed to really do that.
“Obviously, they’re built to withstand some kind of shaking. But it was going pretty bad sideto-side, and it makes you really start to wonder, is it going to get to the point where it’ll fall down?”
Taiwan’s Central Emergency Operations Centre said the earthquake was centred off Hualien County, about 150 kilometres south of Taipei.
Local firefighters said on a Facebook post that two Canadians were among a group of 12 people stranded by rock slides on a trail in Taroko National Park, a renowned hiking destination, and rescue efforts were ongoing.
Canadians in Taiwan described scenes of chaos and violent shaking that shifted furniture and almost knocked people off their feet during the quake that struck during the Wednesday morning rush hour. Vancouver-based community events organizer Charlie Wu said his rented 12thfloor apartment in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei shook for “what seemed like minutes,” knocking bottles and plates out of their closed cabinets.
Wu said he could also hear the sounds of glass breaking from several other units in the building, and a number of strong after shocks knocked several items he placed back on shelves to the floor again.
“I still feel the occasional [aftershock], quick and much smaller than what it was this morning.”
Tech firm employee Yvonne Chen, who splits her time between Burnaby and Taipei, said the shaking on her 10th-floor apartment shifted a large cabinet 15 centimetres off its base and she had to crouch to prevent herself from falling over.
Chen said the quake was mild when it started and she continued to get ready for her commute to work, until the shaking grew more powerful.
“It got to a point where I couldn’t stand, and I had to crouch down,” she said in an interview in Mandarin, estimating the shaking to have lasted about a minute.
Global Affairs Canada said in a statement that any Canadians in need of aid should contact them immediately, adding that there were 5,518 registered Canadian citizens in Taiwan.
Angel Liu, director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Taiwan’s de facto consulate in Vancouver, said she had a restless night after being overwhelmed with videos and images of heavy infrastructural damage on her social media feed.
“Let’s hope for the best there is minimum loss of lives,” Liu said, crossing her fingers.
A number of Canadian leaders expressed support for Taiwan, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and B.C. Premier David Eby, the latter taking to social media platform X to express his condolences.
“I’m advised there is no threat to B.C.,” Eby wrote in the post, referring to a possible tsunami. “But I know many with family in Taiwan are concerned for the safety of their loved ones.”
Trudeau said Canada had reached out to Taiwanese officials and was ready to provide support if needed.