At least nine people died and more than 1,000 were injured on Wednesday in Taiwan, according to a new report from the authorities, in an underwater earthquake measuring greater than 7 on the open Richter scale. The earthquake, the most powerful to hit the island in 25 years, occurred Wednesday near Taiwan, triggering tsunami warnings in the region before the risk was finally averted.
All the deaths occurred in the Hualien region, near the epicenter of the earthquake in the east of the island, the national fire agency said. Three of the victims died on a hiking trail, crushed by rocks caused by the earthquake. Another victim, a truck driver, was killed in a landslide while approaching a tunnel. The agency did not immediately indicate the circumstances of the other deaths, bringing the number of injured to 821, without specifying the seriousness of the injuries.
Bulldozers were mobilized to clear rocks blocking roads to Hualien, according to images broadcast by local channels. The main roads leading to the city pass through numerous tunnels and authorities fear vehicles and passengers might be trapped inside. “We must carefully check how many people are trapped and we must rescue them quickly” Vice President Lai Ching-te, expected to become Taiwan’s new president in May, told reporters.
Current President Tsai Ing-wen has ordered local and central government agencies to coordinate and announced that the military will also provide support.
The main railway linking the capital Taipei south along the eastern coast, which was cut in several places, was being repaired.
good preparation and strict construction rules
Strict construction rules and good preparation for natural disasters, however, seem to have made it possible to avoid a major catastrophe for the island, which is regularly hit by earthquakes.
The city’s mayor said that around fifty survivors had been extracted from the ruins. “It was like a mountain collapsing“, said a neighbor, Liu.
The activity of certain factories of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world’s largest chip manufacturer, was briefly interrupted, a company official told AFP.
