Dozens of tourists who had been trapped for four days due to landslides on a mountain in the eastern part of the island of Taiwan are being evacuated today Saturday (04.06.2024) after the deadly 7.4 Richter earthquake that left at least 13 dead, according to the latest report .
Six people are missing and more than 1,100 have been injured since the 7.4-magnitude earthquake, the strongest in 25 years in Taiwan. Authorities in Taiwan today announced a rise in the death toll after they recovered three bodies found on a hiking trail.
More than 600 people remain trapped in tunnels or in remote areas because of the landslides, as rescue teams are distributing emergency supplies with the help of helicopters to many isolated residents, according to the national disaster agency.
The epicenter of the quake, Hualien, a city of 100,000 on the east coast, has been hit by more than 300 aftershocks since Wednesday, including a magnitude 5.2 tremor this morning.
Helicopters have increased their routes today to airlift tourists trapped in Taroko National Park, which attracts hikers because of its canyons, to safety.
In the morning, one helicopter removed 12 people, while a second helicopter carried 16 others, an AFP journalist found.
“Priority is given to elderly people, vulnerable groups, women, children and people suffering from chronic diseases,” Taiwanese news website ET Today reported.
“Even if everyone comes back from the mountain tired, everyone is smiling,” according to the same website.
A flyover has also been set up with a luxury hotel, where more than 400 tourists and workers remain stranded after the quake.
Helicopters also dropped emergency supplies to people who remain isolated, including a group of students, teachers and residents trapped in an elementary school, which has been locked down.
In other areas, rescue teams are scrambling to clear roads and tunnel entrances blocked by huge chunks of rock.
“Rescuers are not giving up,” Taiwan’s Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-him said, calling them “real heroes of a strong Taiwan.”
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