On Wednesday, a massive earthquake struck Taiwan, which resulted in the loss of at least nine lives and left over 1,000 individuals injured. The quake also caused significant damage to many buildings, and in its aftermath, tsunami warnings were issued, which extended as far as Japan and the Philippines but were later lifted.
Many people are trapped in the tunnels that go through the mountains that divide the island from north to south after the earthquake caused massive landslides, making them unreachable.
Officials said the quake was the strongest to shake the island in decades and warned of more tremors in the days ahead.
Africa Today News, New York reports that strict building regulations and widespread public disaster awareness appear to have staved off a major catastrophe for the earthquake-prone island, which lies near the junction of two tectonic plates.
“We were very lucky,” said a woman surnamed Chang, who lived next door to a printing press warehouse near the capital that virtually pancaked in the quake, but all 50 inside at the time were plucked to safety.
“Many of the decorations at home fell on the floor, but people were safe.”
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The director of Taipei’s Central Weather Administration’s Seismology Centre, Wu Chien-fu, said the quake was the strongest since a 7.6-magnitude struck in September 1999, killing around 2,400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the island’s history.
Wednesday’s magnitude-7.4 quake hit just before 8am local time, with the United States Geological Survey putting the epicentre 18 kilometres (11 miles) south of Taiwan’s Hualien City, at a depth of 34.8 kilometres.
Three people among a group of seven on an early-morning hike through the hills that surround the city were crushed to death by boulders loosened by the earthquake, officials said.
Africa Today News, New York reports that further reports that separately, three died while driving when their vehicles were hit by tumbling rocks, while another died at a quarry.
The National Fire Agency said all the fatalities had been in Hualien county, adding that 1,011 people across Taiwan had sustained injuries without specifying how serious.
The United States “stands ready to provide any necessary assistance” to Taiwan following a huge earthquake that injured hundreds and killed at least nine people, the White House said on Wednesday.
“We are monitoring reports of the earthquake impacting Taiwan and continue to monitor its potential impact on Japan,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson added in a statement.