IN 25 YEARS
ARMSTRONG
TAIWAN has been hit by its most powerful earthquake in 25 years.
At least nine people died and over 900 were injured by the 7.4 magnitutude tremors in the east coast of the country.
Rescuers are trying to reach 127 people trapped in fallen buildings and mountain tunnels. In Hualien, a city, 11 miles north of the epicentre, high rise homes and offices designed to withstand earthquakes were left leaning at precarious angles.
Fears
Firefighters struggled to search for survivors amid fears of further collapses, while locals shouted into buildings for signs of people trapped.
CCTV images showed waves forming on a rooftop swimming pool in capital
Taipei, 100 miles from the epicentre.
Restaurant tables rocked as crockery fell, parked cars shook and metal girders fell from constuction sites.
Antoine Rousseaux was at work when his ninth floor office “started to shake really, really hard”. He said: “It’s not my first earthquake in Taiwan but I’ve never had it that hard. I heard things falling down. I was like, ‘should I run down the stairs?’ I decided to sit under the table.”
At least 77 people were cut off inside two tunnels in Hualien during morning rush hour. Mountains were rocked by landslides and tourists were among those trapped, including two Germans in a tunnel in Taroko national park. Another 50 were on four minibuses heading to the park. Five of the dead, including three hikers, were hit by falling rocks.
Efforts to reach 70 quarry workers were hampered by fallen rocks on roads. Tsunami warnings were triggered but ocean levels were found to be safe around the East Asian island. President Tsai Ing-wen said: “We will provide timely assistance to those in need.”