The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years, injuring hundreds

The first quake was alarming enough, stronger than anything Taiwan has felt for a quarter-century, and lasted for more than a minute on Wednesday morning, destroying property and even twisting entire buildings. It was so powerful that it triggered tsunami warnings in Japan, China and the Philippines.

But then, even in a place riddled with faults and with long and arduous experience with earthquakes, aftershocks after aftershocks were astonishing, continuing every few minutes throughout the day.

The 7.4-magnitude quake killed nine people and injured at least 1,011 others, overwhelming an earthquake response system that has served as a model elsewhere. In Hualien County, close to the epicenter, 71 people were trapped in two mining areas as of Wednesday evening, and dozens more were stranded, according to officials. Forty flights were canceled or delayed. Water was cut off for about 14,000 families, and electricity was cut off for 1,000 families.

By late Wednesday evening, 201 aftershocks had been reported, many of them exceeding magnitude 5. With rain expected in the coming days, authorities warned of the possibility of landslides.

Residents chose to stay out, said Cai Kuang-hui, a retired teacher in Hualien, on the island's east coast, near the epicenter. “I'm trying to fix a broken water pipe. A lot of water and gas pipes are broken,” he said over the phone.

Many residents were at home preparing for work and school when the quake struck. Others were driving on highways or had already set off for an early hike in Taiwan's national parks before a four-day holiday. After the main quake stopped, people across the island fled to the streets to assess damaged buildings and quickly sent text messages to friends and family members offering reassurances and photos of their broken possessions.

But almost immediately, people felt aftershocks. Taiwan is prone to earthquakes, and mild tremors are common, but they continued every few minutes throughout the day. By 3 p.m., there had been 101 subsequent aftershocks, with at least one of magnitude 6.5 and several with magnitude exceeding magnitude 5.

Officials said more aftershocks were likely in the next four days and warned residents against visiting the graves of their ancestors, especially in the mountains, this weekend during the holiday known as Qingming, which is meant to honor them. Forecasts predict rain that may make travel conditions on the affected roads more dangerous.

Yi Yingwen, a seismologist at National Chung Qing University in Taiwan, said that although the quake would resonate for a long time because it was so large, he had not heard of more than 100 aftershocks from an earthquake this strong. “We should expect that the size of the aftershocks will slowly become smaller and smaller over the next two weeks.”

The greatest damage occurred in Hualien County.

In Hualien City, the county seat, rescuers focused on a brick building with glass windows called the Uranus Building, which had partially collapsed and was leaning heavily to one side. Residents went out of the windows and down the stairs with the help of rescuers.

The fire department said one person in the building died, while about two dozen others were evacuated. Search efforts continued, but it was not immediately clear how many people were trapped in the building.

Peggy Jiang, who runs The Good Kid, a children's bookstore located down the street from the partially collapsed Uranus Building, said it was a good thing the store had not yet opened when the quake struck. “Most people in Hualien are used to earthquakes,” she said. “But this incident was particularly scary, as many people ran into the street immediately afterwards.”

Rescuers were also able to free dozens of people trapped in other places in the province. Three hikers were killed by falling rocks on a trail in Taroko National Park, a popular site known for its gorge that cuts through mountains that rise steeply from the coast.

The provincial government has opened evacuation zones where people can take shelter, such as gyms and high school sports fields, as aftershocks continue in the area.

Derek du Plessis, a 44-year-old South African who has lived in Hualien for 17 years, described chaos and panic in the streets after the quake as people rushed to pick up their children and inspect their homes.

He added that the roads were closed and the walls collapsed on the cars. He added: “People seem to have calmed down now, but a lot of people are sitting on the road.” “They don't want to enter the buildings because there are still a lot of earthquakes.”

Lin Gong, 36, who runs a sports shoe store in Hualien, said he was at home preparing to take his 16-month-old child to a medical appointment when the quake struck. He said that at first it seemed like a series of small shocks, then “suddenly it turned into a severe earthquake, shaking up and down.” The glass cover of the ceiling lamp fell and shattered. “All I can do is protect my child,” he said.

The earthquake also shook the west coast of the island, causing one building in Changhua County to completely collapse. Many railway services were halted as authorities checked the tracks for damage.

The quake occurred during the morning commute, shortly before 8 a.m., at a depth of 22 miles, according to the US Geological Survey.

Taiwan is located at the intersection of the Philippine Sea tectonic plate and the Eurasian plate, making it vulnerable to seismic activity. Hualien lies on several active faults, and 17 people died in an earthquake there in 2018.

The quake struck Taiwan as many people here were preparing to travel to attend Tomb Sweeping Day on Thursday, the day when people across the Chinese-speaking world mourn the dead and make offerings at their graves. Weekends usually see a spike in travel as people visit their families throughout Taiwan.

Authorities are working to restore rail services in Hualien and two-way traffic on highways in the region, Wang Guokai, the island's transportation minister, said at a news conference.

TSMC, the world's largest manufacturer of advanced semiconductors, briefly evacuated workers from its factories but said a few hours later they were back at work. The company said its safety systems are operating normally, and it is still assessing the impact. TSMC's factories are clustered along Taiwan's western coast, far from the epicenter.

The company said that all employees are fine. However, chip production is extremely precise, and even short shutdowns can cost millions of dollars.

Taiwan's earthquake preparedness has evolved over the past few decades in response to some of the largest and most destructive earthquakes on the island. In 1999, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in Taiwan killed nearly 2,500 people.

The quake, which occurred about 90 miles southwest of Taipei, was the second strongest in the island's history, according to the US Geological Survey and Central Weather Administration. More than 10,000 people were injured and more than 100,000 homes were destroyed or damaged.

In the years that followed, authorities established an urban search and rescue team and opened several emergency medical operations centers, among other measures. In 2018, after an earthquake in the eastern coastal city of Hualien killed 17 people and caused several buildings to partially collapse, the government ordered a wave of building inspections.

Taiwan has also been improving its earthquake early warning system since the 1980s. Two years ago, it issued new building codes that, among other things, require owners of vulnerable buildings to install customized structural reinforcements.

Paul Mozur and Siyi Chow contributed reporting.

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