A 7.2-magnitude earthquake in eastern Taiwan on Thursday caused more than 1,000 injuries, but the number of fatalities stayed at nine. Dozens of workers who were traveling to a hotel in a national park were largely confirmed to be unharmed.
The earthquake, which was centered on the mostly rural and sparsely populated eastern county of Hualien, struck on Wednesday morning as residents were getting ready to leave for work and school. It was the strongest in 25 years.
In Taipei, the capital, buildings trembled fiercely as well, but there was less damage and inconvenience.
According to Taiwan’s fire agency, 1,050 people had been injured, making 52 people overall missing. About twenty of the nearly fifty hotel employees were traveling to a resort in Taroko National Park.
According to the fire service, the group was stranded on the cross-island highway, a well-liked tourist site that crosses the canyon and connects Hualien with Taiwan’s west coast.
Drone footage of individuals waiving from the side of the road was displayed, including shots of the crushed back end of a minibus and some of the hotel staff. It further said that another set of 26 workers had been located.
Six individuals who were stuck in a mining area were rescued by a helicopter on Thursday morning, according to the fire service.
The railway administration reported that although one rural station north of Hualien city remains closed owing to damage, the railway line to Hualien reopened ahead of schedule on Thursday.
More than 300 aftershocks rattled the area, frightening locals in Hualien city, where persons who had been trapped in buildings had all been freed. Despite this, some people chose to spend the night outside.
The 52-year-old woman, whose family name was Yu, said that she was too afraid to sleep in her “messy” apartment and that she had checked herself into a tent on a sports field being used as a temporary shelter late on Wednesday night.
“There were scary aftershocks. It never stops. I would never dare sleep in this house “She stated.
(Reuters)
