The strongest earthquake in 25 years hits Taiwan, killing 10 people and stranding dozens

In brief: Emergency services workers in Taiwan are trying to free dozens of people trapped after a deadly earthquake struck the island on Wednesday morning. The earthquake and aftershocks caused numerous landslides and damaged roads, bridges and tunnels. So what next? Rescuers continue to search for trapped and missing people.

Rescuers are working to free dozens of people trapped after the strongest earthquake in a quarter-century rocked Taiwan on Wednesday morning, causing landslides and collapsing buildings.

The earthquake killed 10 people and injured 1,099 others, while dozens of workers who were traveling in minibuses to a hotel in a national park were missing.

Late Thursday, a statement from Taiwan's Foreign Ministry announced that 71 foreigners, including two Australians, had been rescued, but two Australians and a Canadian were still missing.

DFAT has been contacted for comment.

Some buildings leaned at precarious angles in the sparsely populated, mountainous Hualien County, near the epicenter of the quake, which struck offshore at around 8 a.m. local time.

Taiwan's earthquake monitoring agency said the quake measured 7.2, while the US Geological Survey estimated its magnitude at 7.4.

The earthquake led to the collapse of buildings and landslides. (Reuters: Walid Barazek)

As darkness fell, some people were spending 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.

“The Uranus Building behind us was very badly damaged. It is a building with one basement floor and nine floors above ground. The first and second floors are underground now,” said acting deputy chief of the Hualien Fire Department Li Longsheng.

Evacuees from their homes sit outside a shelter after the major earthquake that struck the city of Hualien in eastern Taiwan. (AP Photo: Chiang Yingying)

Australian Labor MP Tanya Lawrence is now stuck in Taipei in a hotel lobby following the earthquake during a private visit to Taiwan.

Lawrence said she felt “very violent” tremors from a hotel room on the ninth floor, as well as “very frequent aftershocks.”

She said there was no other option but to stay at the hotel.

Taiwan meteorological officials said that more than 50 aftershocks were recorded.

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

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The force of the quake was captured live as news anchors broadcast the breakfast bulletins, steadying themselves in front of the giant screens as their crews swayed and lighting rigs swung back and forth overhead.

The earthquake occurred at a depth of 15.5 kilometers while people were heading to work and schools, triggering a tsunami warning in southern Japan and the Philippines, which was later lifted.

Dozens remain trapped as the rescue mission continues

A video clip showed rescuers using ladders to help trapped people get out of windows.

Fire authorities said they had already evacuated about 70 people trapped in tunnels near the city of Hualien, including two Germans.

Authorities initially lost contact with 50 hotel staff in minibuses in Taroko National Park after the quake knocked out phone networks.

About ten of these employees have now been located, and 38 of them are still missing.

The fire department said rescue work focused on people trapped on the Trans-Island Highway, which passes through the strait that connects the city of Hualien to the western coast of Taiwan, and is a popular tourist destination.

Authorities are using drones and helicopters to search for people in the valley and will drop supplies to them when they are found.

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Another 80 people are trapped in a mine area, although it was not immediately clear whether they were inside a mine.

On the highway between the mountains, huge boulders from a landslide were scattered across the road.

The Taichung City Government Fire Bureau said it rescued a man in his 50s who was unconscious in a truck.

“Right now, the most important thing and the highest priority is to save people,” said President-elect Lai Ching-ti, speaking outside one of the collapsed buildings in Hualien.

Hualien City Mayor Hsu Chen Wei said that all residents and businesses in buildings that were in serious condition had been evacuated.

The city mayor said that 48 residential buildings were damaged in the city and demolition work had begun in four buildings.

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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 as Chan.

Taiwan is regularly exposed to earthquakes and its population is considered among the best prepared for them.

But the authorities expected a relatively mild earthquake and did not send warnings.

“I'm used to (earthquakes). But today was the first time I was scared to tears because of an earthquake,” said Hsin Hswen Keng, a resident who lives in a fifth-floor apartment in Taipei.

“The earthquake woke me up. I've never felt such intense shaking before.”

Workers carry out demolition operations near some collapsed buildings. (Reuters: Walid Barazek)

The White House said that the United States is ready to provide any necessary assistance.

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.

In Japan, the Meteorological Agency said that the magnitude of the earthquake reached 7.7 degrees, and said that several small tsunami waves had reached parts of the southern Okinawa Prefecture, while it reduced its tsunami warning to a warning.

In the Philippines, earthquake officials warned residents of coastal areas in several provinces against moving to higher areas.

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.

Facilities have been restored

Taipower Electricity said most of the power was restored after the quake, and the island's two nuclear power plants were not affected.

Taiwan's high-speed rail operator said no damage or injuries had been reported on its trains, although services would be delayed while inspections were carried out.

Strong tremors in Taipei forced the subway system to close briefly, although most lines resumed service.

The official Central News Agency said that the earthquake was the largest since 1999, with a magnitude of 7.6 and killing about 2,400 people and destroying or damaging 50,000 buildings.

Taiwan meteorological officials classified Wednesday's quake in the city of Hualien as a “top 6,” or the second-highest level of intensity on a scale of 1 to 7.

Experts say such earthquakes lead to the collapse of walls unless they are made of reinforced concrete blocks, while people cannot stand upright and have to crawl in order to move.

abc/wires

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