The powerful earthquake that struck Taiwan yesterday morning killed nine people and left 17 buildings askew in Hualien County, including two that had partially collapsed, government officials said.
Mudslides and rockfalls also damaged multiple tunnels and were responsible for almost all loss of life in the county, which was closest to the earthquake’s epicenter.
Tien Wang Hsing Building (天王星大樓), an eight-story mixed-use tower, partially collapsed after developing a 60° slant, the Hualien County Fire Department said.
Photo: AFP / National Fire Agency
One woman was found dead trapped beneath the rubble and 23 were rescued from the site, it said, adding that efforts to extricate the dead from the debris were ongoing.
A four-story residential building on Beibin Street partially collapsed, crushing the first floor, but caused no loss of life, the department said.
Four women were reportedly killed by falling rocks in Taroko National Park, including three hikers on the Dekalun Trail (得卡倫步道) and an engineer accompanying her husband doing roadwork on Provincial Highway No. 8.
Photo courtesy of the Yilan County Fire Bureau
Another unidentified body of a man was found along a section of the highway outside the park who appeared to be a slope maintenance worker.
A truck driver was reportedly killed by a fallen boulder along the Suhua Highway (part of Provincial Highway No. 9), while another motorist was hit by falling debris in the Dacingshuei Tunnel (大清水隧道).
A man was struck dead by rocks at a parking lot near the Hueide Tunnel (匯德隧道).
Photo: Hua Meng-ching, Taipei Times
Another man was killed working in Taiwan Cement Heren (和仁) mining area, also hit by falling rocks. Six people were trapped.
The Central Emergency Operation Center said that two people were still trapped in Chongde Tunnel (崇德隧道).
Minister of the Interior Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) said in an evening briefing that rescue workers made contact with 15 people trapped in the Dacingshuei Tunnel and about 60 people trapped in the Jinwun Tunnel (錦文隧道).
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The rescue of both groups was expected to be completed by 6pm last night.
In addition, four minibuses carrying 50 employees of the Silks Place Taroko hotel could not be reached, but were traced by a GPS signal to Taroko National Park’s Tunnel of Nine Turns (九轉洞), he said.
A rescue team was searching for the missing minibuses, he said.
Three of the employees in the minibuses walked out of the tunnel and returned to the hotel by themselves, the Highway Bureau said, adding that it anticipated freeing the rest before midnight.
Separately, New Taipei City reported a total of eight structures tilted or collapsed following the quake.
A warehouse reportedly collapsed in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和), with four people injured, but not in critical condition, and everyone else was accounted for, the New Taipei City Fire Department said.
Thirteen residents from eight households were evacuated from a structure in the city’s Sindian District (新店) that partially sank into its foundations, it said, adding that no one was hurt or trapped.
The earthquake also bent a section of the metro system’s rails out of shape, causing stoppages on the Circular line, the New Taipei City Department of Rapid Transit Systems said.
The damage occurred on the bridge between Zhongyuan and Jingan stations, it said, adding that the automatic stop system was activated to allow passengers to evacuate on foot.
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