Taiwan earthquake: Rescuers search for survivors amid landslides and aftershocks | Taiwan

Rescue teams are trying to reach more than 100 people trapped in mining areas and a national park after the strongest earthquake in decades struck Taiwan, killing nine people and injuring about 1,000.

Taiwan's Central Meteorological Administration said search efforts around the hardest-hit city of Hualien on the east coast were hampered by more than 50 aftershocks recorded since the quake struck on Wednesday morning. More is expected over the next four days, with a magnitude between 6.5 and 7.

It is believed that about 80 people are trapped in the mining areas. A dramatic video released by the island's Central Emergency Operations Center on Thursday showed a helicopter flying in two sorties to rescue six miners trapped in a gypsum quarry in Hualien County near the epicenter.

Rescuers learned the whereabouts of dozens of people trapped in a network of powerful tunnels in the county, a feature of the roads that cut through the scenic mountains and slopes leading to Hualien City from the north and west.

“I also hope that we can use today's time to find all the stranded and missing people and help them settle down,” Prime Minister Chen Xin-jin said after a press conference at the Hualien Emergency Operations Center.

About 50 hotel workers are believed to be stranded in Taroko National Park after their convoy of four minibuses was trapped on a mountain road by a landslide. Local reports said that mobile phone signals indicate that they may have taken refuge in the Geokyo cave system, and rescue teams are now trying to clear the way to reach them. Local media reported that four of the dead – three hikers and one driver – occurred in the park after the rockslides.

Taiwan is still assessing the effects of the quake — a magnitude of 7.2 by its earthquake monitoring agency, 7.4 by the United States and 7.7 by Japan — that struck near Hualien, a city popular with tourists on Taiwan's east coast, damaging buildings. And besiege people. Amid dozens of aftershocks. This is the strongest in Taiwan since 1999, when a 7.6-magnitude earthquake 93 miles (150 kilometers) south of Taipei killed 2,400 people and injured 10,000.

As darkness fell on Wednesday, hundreds of people spent the night in tents and other shelters. Meanwhile, dozens of emergency workers were trying to shore up damaged buildings and demolish those deemed impossible to save.

A man stands near a partially collapsed apartment building in Hualien. Photography: Danielle Singh/EPA

“I'm afraid of aftershocks, and I don't know how bad it will be,” said a 52-year-old Hualien resident, who gave her last name as Yu, on her way to a shelter.

A woman who runs a bed and breakfast in Hualien City said she rushed to calm her guests down. “This is the biggest earthquake I have ever experienced,” said the woman, who asked to be identified only by her last name, Chan.

President-elect Lai Ching-ti visited Hualien to inspect the damage to the city near the epicenter. “Right now, the most important thing and the highest priority is to save people,” he said at the scene.

City Mayor Hsu Chen-wei said that all residents and businesses in buildings that were in serious condition had been evacuated, and demolition work had begun on four buildings.

The quake struck at a depth of just 15.5 kilometers (9.6 miles) while people were heading to work and school, triggering a tsunami warning for southern Japan and the Philippines, which was later lifted. Chinese official media said that residents of the southeastern province of Fujian felt the earthquake, while a Reuters witness said that residents of Shanghai, the commercial center, also felt it.

However, meteorological officials said no earthquake warning had been issued for all of Taiwan, and officials were investigating the cause.

Taiwan's air force said six F-16 fighter jets suffered minor damage at a main base in the city, from which planes often take off to avoid Chinese air force raids, but the planes are expected to return to service very soon.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., or TSMC, a major supplier of chips to Apple and Nvidia, said it had evacuated some manufacturing plants and that safety systems were operating normally. Nvidia said it expects supplies to be uninterrupted by the earthquake.

It later said that its workers were fine and had returned to their workplaces shortly after the earthquake. She added that the affected facilities are expected to resume production on Wednesday evening.

The White House said that the United States is ready to provide any assistance required. He added, “The United States is ready to provide any necessary assistance. All those affected are in our prayers.” A statement issued by National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said.

With Reuters

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos