Taiwan has been rocked by the region’s strongest earthquake in 25 years. Buildings have collapsed, nine people have died, more than 946 people have been injured and many are still missing.
The number of injured and missing people has continued to rise all day. The search is on for survivors in collapsed buildings, a coal mine and in a nature reserve. The death toll, which now stands at nine, may increase as a result.
Tourists died
At least three of the victims who died were tourists who were present in the national park. Authorities have not yet been able to contact fifty others who were in the park at the time of the earthquake.
The quake struck around 8 a.m. local time off the coast near the town of Hualien. It had a magnitude of at least 7.2 according to Taiwanese authorities, making it the strongest quake in the region in 25 years.
At least thirty buildings were destroyed by the earthquake, seventeen of which were in the city of Hualien. The devastation is clearly visible in these images:
Firefighters told Reuters they had already evacuated about 70 people trapped in tunnels near the city of Hualien, including two Germans. “Right now, rescuing people is the most important thing, the highest priority,” President Lai Ching-te said.
Communications along the country’s east coast are blocked by rocks in many places. Taiwanese media report that ships are being deployed to reach isolated areas or places along the coast. An attempt is also being made to make a railway usable again by tomorrow at the latest.
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it has no indications yet that there are Dutch victims or Dutch people in need in Taiwan.
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