Death certificates have been issued for a Singaporean couple still missing after the Taiwan earthquake in April

SINGAPORE – More than 200 days after they were last seen hiking in Taiwan in April, a Singaporean couple missing after an earthquake struck Hualien County in the east of the island has been officially declared dead.

Taiwanese media reported that the Hualien District Court issued death certificates to Mr Sim Hui Kwok and Ms Niu Siu Chu, following a request submitted by their family on December 23 to local authorities.

Their time of death was set at noon on April 3.

The couple was last captured on CCTV getting off the bus on April 3 at around 7.20am near Chakadang Road in Taroko National Park in Hualien.

Nearly 40 minutes later, Taiwan's largest earthquake in 25 years occurred – a magnitude 7.2 earthquake with an epicenter 18 kilometers from Hualien City.

Search and rescue personnel from the Hualien Fire Department conducted multiple searches for the couple to no avail. Sniffer dogs were also given the clothes worn by Mr Sim and Ms Niu to pick up their scent.

Their family members attended a religious ceremony with invocation rituals on April 14, after the search was suspended due to safety concerns.

While their whereabouts remain a mystery, the death certificates of Mr Sim and Ms Neo are expected to help the family deal with the legal affairs of the missing couple, who are said to also hold Australian passports.

Taiwanese media reported that the family had conveyed their wishes to Hualien authorities to continue the search so they could close it down.

A previous appeal for information was requested by a family member on Facebook. Send the information to [email protected]

The official death toll from the April 3 earthquake had previously recorded 18 dead and more than a thousand injured.

Lok Jianwen is a journalist for The Straits Times, covering international news and current affairs.

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