A violent earthquake strikes Taiwan, killing 9 people and injuring more than 1,000 others

HUALIN, Taiwan — The strongest earthquake in a quarter-century rocked Taiwan on Wednesday morning, killing nine people, stranding dozens in quarries and a national park, and sending some residents climbing out of the windows of damaged buildings.

The quake, which injured more than 1,000 people, occurred shortly before 8 a.m. and was centered off the coast of mountainous rural Hualien County, where some buildings were bent at severe angles and their ground floors were destroyed. Just over 150 kilometers (93 miles) away in the capital, Taipei, tiles fell from ancient buildings, and schools evacuated students to sports fields as aftershocks hit.

Rescuers fanned out in Hualien to search for people who might be trapped and used excavators to stabilize damaged buildings. The number of people missing, trapped, or stranded fluctuated as the authorities became aware of more people suffering from problems and worked to locate or free them.

Taiwan's National Fire Agency said that about 70 workers stranded in two rock quarries were fine, but the roads leading to them were damaged by falling rocks. Six workers were scheduled to be airlifted on Thursday.

In the hours after the quake, television showed neighbors and rescue workers hoisting residents, including a young child, through windows and into the street. Some doors started shaking.

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. The earthquake was eventually strong enough to frighten even people who were accustomed to such shaking.

“I'm used to (earthquakes). I was very affected,” said Hsin-hswen Keng, who lives in a fifth-floor apartment in Taipei. But today was the first time I was scared to tears because of the earthquake.” The earthquake woke me up. I had never felt such intense shaking before.

At least nine people were killed in the earthquake, according to the Taiwan Fire Agency. Most of the deaths were caused by falling rocks, including four people who were injured inside Taroko National Park, the government's Central News Agency reported. The news agency said that one person died in a residential building that was damaged.

A small tsunami hit the beach on the islands of southern Japan but did not cause any damage.

At least 1,011 people were reported infected. Authorities initially lost contact with 50 hotel staff in minibuses in the park after the quake knocked out phone networks. Three employees walked to the hotel, while the others remained stuck. The official news agency said that about two dozen tourists were stranded in the park.

The earthquake and aftershocks caused numerous landslides and damage to roads, bridges and tunnels. The National Legislature, a converted school before World War II, and parts of the main airport in Taoyuan, south of Taipei, also sustained minor damage.

Hualien Mayor Hsu Chen Wei said that 48 residential buildings were damaged in the city that bears the same name as the county. Hsu said water and electricity supplies are in the process of being restored.

Taiwan's earthquake monitoring agency said the quake measured 7.2, while the US Geological Survey said it measured 7.4. The earthquake occurred about 18 kilometers (11 miles) from Hualien City and was about 35 kilometers (21 miles) deep. Several aftershocks followed.

Traffic along the east coast was virtually halted after the quake, as landslides and falling debris hit tunnels and highways. Train service was halted across the island of 23 million people, with some tracks buckling due to the pressures of the quake, as happened with subway service in Taipei, where parts of a newly constructed elevated line split but did not collapse.

The initial panic quickly faded on the island, which prepares for such events with drills in schools and issuing notices through public media and mobile phones. Taiwan's preparedness is among the most advanced in the world and includes strict building codes and a world-class seismic network, said Stephen Gao, a seismologist and professor at the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

By noon, the metro station in the busy Beitou suburb of northern Taipei was once again bustling with people commuting to their jobs and people arriving to visit hot springs or travel through mountain passes at the base of a dormant volcano.

Chinese media reported that residents of Shanghai and provinces along the southeastern coast of China felt the earthquake. China and Taiwan are about 160 kilometers (100 miles) apart.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said a tsunami measuring 30 centimeters (about one foot) high was detected on the coast of Yonaguni Island about 15 minutes after the quake. Smaller waves were measured at Ishigaki and Miyako Islands. All alerts were lifted in the area on Wednesday afternoon.

Taiwan lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” the seismic fault line surrounding the Pacific Ocean where most of the world's earthquakes occur.

Hualien City was last hit by a deadly earthquake in 2018, which killed 17 people and collapsed a historic hotel. The worst earthquake to hit Taiwan in recent years occurred on September 21, 1999, with a magnitude of 7.7, killing 2,400 people, injuring about 100,000, and destroying thousands of buildings.

The economic repercussions resulting from the earthquake have not yet been calculated. Taiwan is a leading manufacturer of the world's most advanced computer chips and other high-tech items that are highly sensitive to seismic events. Parts of the electricity grid have been shut down, potentially leading to supply chain disruptions and financial losses.

Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC, which supplies semiconductors to companies such as Apple, said it had evacuated employees from some of its factories in Hsinchu, southwest of Taipei. Hsinchu authorities said water and electricity supplies to all factories in the city's science park were operating normally.

___

Bodin and Mestrano reported from Taipei, Taiwan. Associated Press journalists Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Ken Moritsugu in Beijing, Lorian Belanger in Bangkok, Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu, and Fu Ting and Didi Tang in Washington contributed to this report.

___

This story has been updated to correct that the 70 stranded people are in rock quarries, not coal mines.

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/strong-earthquake-hits-taiwan-tsunami-alert-issued-108768700 The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

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