The whole of Taiwan was yesterday jolted by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck just off the coast of Hualien County at 7:58am, the largest quake to hit the nation in 25 years.
The death toll had reached nine, while 946 people were injured and 137 were still trapped or stranded as of 7pm yesterday.
The quake’s epicenter was 25km south-southeast of Hualien County Hall at a depth of 15.5km, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.
Photo: Hua Meng-ching, Taipei Times
The highest intensity of 6 was felt in Hualien, while Yilan and Miaoli counties registered above 5.
Intensities of just below 5 were felt in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taichung and Taoyuan, as well as Nantou, Hsinchu and Changhua counties.
Most of the rest of the country experienced intensities of 4, even as far south as Pingtung County.
Photo courtesy of the National Fire Agency
Four people reportedly died after being struck by falling rocks in Taroko National Park, three of whom were hiking the Dekalun Trail (得卡倫步道).
One person who had been hiking along the Xiaozhuilu Trail (小錐麓步道) was missing.
The fourth person who died was accompanying her husband doing roadwork along Provincial Highway No. 8 when rocks fell on her.
Photo: CNA
Nearby, a truck driver was reportedly killed by a falling boulder along the Suhua Highway, while another motorist was hit by falling debris in the Dacingshuei Tunnel (大清水隧道).
The seventh casualty was a person working in Taiwan Cement Corp’s (台泥) Heren (和仁) mining area who was hit by falling rocks.
A woman attempting to rescue her pet cat from a building that collapsed in Hualien was also found dead, local firefighters said.
Photo: CNA
The woman escaped the initial temblor unharmed, but became trapped during an aftershock that struck after she re-entered the eight-story mixed-use block on Xuanyuan Road, the Hualien County Fire Department said, adding that she was found pinned under a column with no vital signs at about 2pm.
Twenty-four other people were rescued from the 38-year-old building, four of whom had to be hospitalized, the department said.
The Hualien County Government suspended classes yesterday following the quake.
Photo courtesy of a reader
Several buildings in Hualien City were tilting at severe angles, one of which is a large building at the intersection of Zhongshan and Chongqing roads. Emergency responders were still working to rescue the people inside.
As of 3:30pm yesterday, the Central Emergency Operation Center reported 28 collapsed buildings: 17 in Hualien, one in Yilan County, two in Keelung and eight in New Taipei City.
AFTERSHOCKS
Photo: screen grab from the Central Weather Administration Web site
The CWA warned of the possibility of aftershocks measuring magnitudes 6.5 to 7 over the next three to four days.
There were 58 aftershocks recorded as of 12pm, nine of which measured between magnitudes 5 and 6, while two exceeded magnitude 6 at 8:11am and 10:14am, CWA data showed.
This morning’s earthquake was felt across Taiwan, as it was shallow and close to land, CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) said.
Initial observations suggest that it was the main quake, although strong aftershocks are possible, Wu said.
This is the strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan since the magnitude 7.3 quake on Sept. 21, 1999, he said, adding that the intensity readings might be adjusted, but it initially appears to be of a similar magnitude.
TRANSPORTATION
MRT services in Taipei were suspended for 40 to 60 minutes for routine safety checks, although there were no initial reports of irregularities. Services on all lines had resumed by 10am.
In New Taipei City, the Department of Rapid Transit Systems said that it would take a while to repair the Circular Line (Yellow Line) after the tracks between Zhongyuan and Banxin stations shifted in the quake.
Trains on the line would not restart before the end of the day, so extra bus services would be added, the department said.
The Taichung MRT and high-speed rail also temporarily suspended all services.
The Taiwan Railway Corp (台鐵) route from Yilan County’s Jiaosi Township (礁溪) to Fonglin Township (鳳林) in Hualien County is closed due to damage.
The Highway Bureau said that parts of the Suhua Highway from Yilan’s Suao Township (蘇澳) to Hualien’s Chongde (崇德) area were closed, as well as the Central Cross-Island Highway from Dayuling Pass (大禹嶺) to Taroko.
Tsunami warnings were issued in Japan’s Okinawa and several provinces in the Philippines, but were later lifted.
Additional reporting by AFP, CNA
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