This is the most powerful earthquake to hit Taiwan in twenty-five years. This Wednesday, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 caused extensive damage on the island. The toll so far shows seven deaths and more than 700 injured.
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 first victims died on a hiking trail, and a fourth in a road tunnel.
In Hualien, “two buildings collapsed” trapping people, said a fire official. Photos released by the Central News Agency showed a seven-story red building in the city partially collapsed, tilted at about 60 degrees. “I wanted to run away but I wasn’t dressed. It was so strong,” said Kelvin Hwang, a guest at a hotel in the capital Taipei, who took refuge in the elevator lobby on the ninth floor.
Tremor felt in China
The earthquake occurred shortly before midnight local time. It was followed by several aftershocks. Its epicenter was detected at shallow sea off the eastern coast of the island. “It is felt throughout Taiwan and neighboring islands… It is the strongest in 25 years, since the 1999 earthquake,” Taipei Seismological Center director Wu Chien-fu told reporters. .
A 7.6 magnitude earthquake killed 2,400 people in September 1999, the worst disaster in Taiwan’s modern history.
Across the Formosa Strait, residents in eastern China’s Fujian province and other areas reported on social media that they also felt strong tremors. China, which considers Taiwan to be part of its territory, said it was observing the earthquake “very carefully” and said it was “ready to provide aid to the victims”.