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Wednesday morning there was an earthquake of magnitude 7.4 off the coast of Taiwan, an island in the Pacific Ocean which is located about 180 kilometers away from the coast of China. Due to the earthquake, some buildings collapsed, at least nine people died and more than 900 were injured. It is the strongest earthquake recorded on the island for 25 years.
The epicenter of the earthquake was detected about 18 kilometers south of the city of Hualien, according to the US Geological Survey (the United States Geological Survey), with the hypocenter at a depth of 12 kilometers. The earthquake occurred at 7:58 local time (1:58 in Italy).
Taiwan’s Emergency Operations Center said three of the dead people were crushed by falling rocks in a mountainous area of a national park north of Hualien. Two others died inside a tunnel while driving a truck and a car respectively. A worker died in a quarry, and a worker died while working on a highway. The causes of death of the other two people have not yet been announced.
In all, according to initial information, at least 26 buildings have collapsed, more than half of them in Hualien, and dozens of people are still trapped under the rubble. Firefighters said 70 people are trapped in two different rock quarries (64 in one and 6 in the other). Authorities also lost contact with around 50 workers who were traveling in minibuses in the national park north of the city as the earthquake knocked out telephone lines.
Instead, 77 people who were trapped in two tunnels on a highway were freed. They were traveling on the road that connects Hualien, the most affected city, on the east coast of the island, with the capital Taipei 130 kilometers further north. After the earthquake, Japan and the Philippines issued a tsunami warning, which however was canceled shortly afterwards.
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 many paths frequented by hikers, and a highway that crosses the mountains with many tunnels and sections on cliffs overlooking the sea. Due to the landslides, all trains to Hualien have been temporarily suspended: it is thought that the safety works on the railways will end tomorrow.
Taiwan is separated from China by the Taiwan Strait. In addition to the main island, which is called Formosa Island, the Taiwanese government also controls other small nearby archipelagos, such as those of Penghu and Matsu. Taiwan is in fact a state that enjoys full sovereignty, has a parliament and a government, but China claims it as its own territory.
– Read also: What relationship do Taiwan and China have?