In the eastern part of Taiwan, in the Pacific Ocean, rescue operations are continuing following the strongest earthquake recorded on the island in the last 25 years, which killed at least nine people and injured over a thousand on Wednesday. The earthquake caused some buildings to collapse in Hualien, the largest city close to the epicentre, and forced hundreds of people to leave their homes: at the moment we continue to search for more than a hundred missing people, who are believed to be trapped in some quarries and in a mountainous area just outside the city.
The earthquake occurred at 7:58 local time (1:58 in Italy) and its epicenter was detected off the coast of the island, about 18 kilometers south of Hualien. According to the US Geological Survey (the United States Geological Survey), it had a magnitude of 7.4, while according to the Taiwan Meteorological Agency it was 7.2 and for the Japanese Meteorological Agency it was 7.7. However, it happened at a time when thousands of people were going to work or school.
The earthquake caused landslides and landslides, and there were over 50 subsequent tremors of lesser intensity. The head of the Taiwan Meteorological Agency, Wu Chien-fu, he said during a press conference that in the next four days there could be magnitudes up to 7.
Hundreds of people spent the night between Wednesday and Thursday in tents or temporary accommodation. Hualien Mayor Hsu Chen-Wei said all badly damaged buildings had been evacuated and emergency crews had begun demolishing those deemed beyond repair.
Meanwhile, operations are underway to reach around eighty people who are believed to be stuck in at least two rock quarries, and around fifty hotel employees who are believed to be missing in Taroko National Park, north of Hualien. The convoy of minibuses they were traveling in is thought to have been trapped in a mountainous area due to a landslide, according to Taiwanese media, based on cell phone data. they may have taken refuge in a series of caves in the area, or be stuck in a tunnel.
A building partially collapsed due to the earthquake in Hualien, Taiwan, April 4 (Annabelle Chih/Getty Images)
Hualien is located in a predominantly mountainous area, which is why the earthquake caused several landslides that blocked roads and railway tracks. In the area there are also many paths frequented by hikers, and a highway that crosses the mountains with many tunnels and stretches of cliffs overlooking the sea.
Wednesday’s earthquake was the biggest for Taiwan since a 1999 earthquake in Nantou county in the central-western part of the island, which killed more than 2,400 people and injured more than 11,000. At the moment the country’s authorities are trying to understand why an earthquake alert has not been issued throughout the territory.