At least 7 dead in Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 year

By Saurabh Pandey April 3-2024

HONG KONG — A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Wednesday off Taiwan, killing seven people, injuring hundreds and collapsing buildings in the island’s most powerful tremor in at least 25 years.

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At least seven people died and 736 people were injured, Reuters reported, citing Taiwan’s fire department. Officials said the number of casualties could rise in the coming days.

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The earthquake also prompted tsunami warnings that were later lifted in Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines.

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The damage was concentrated in the eastern Taiwan county of Hualien, near the quake’s epicenter, where officials said they were working to free 77 people who were trapped.

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Video on social media showed a building in Hualien that appeared to be nine stories tall partially collapsed and left standing at an angle. Another, appearing to have five floors, was similarly situated.

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The earthquake was felt in all parts of Taiwan, the Central News Agency reported, disrupting rail services across the island and damaging a major highway in Hualien.

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The earthquake knocked out power for more than 87,000 households and was followed by a series of aftershocks, the biggest of which measured 6.5, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration.

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Seismology official Wu Chien-fu said it was Taiwan’s strongest earthquake since 1999, when a 7.6-magnitude tremor killed about 2,400 people.

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TSMC, one of the biggest companies in Taiwan’s crucial semiconductor manufacturing industry, said its safety systems were operating normally and that some fabrication plants had been evacuated as a preventive measure.

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“All personnel are safe, and those evacuated are beginning to return to their workplaces,” the company said in a statement. “The company is currently confirming the details of the impact.”

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Feelings of tremors were reported elsewhere in the region, including by social media users in Fujian, a province on China’s southeast coast that sits across from Taiwan. Videos posted online also showed chandeliers swaying in cities in other parts of China including Shanghai and Hangzhou.

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In the Chinese territory of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Observatory said it had received more than 100 reports of tremors, describing the vibration as akin to the “passing of light trucks.”

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Hualien City, about 70 miles southeast of Taipei, has a population of around 106,000. The county’s population is around 340,000.

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Taiwan is on the so-called Ring of Fire, which circles the Pacific Basin and is known for earthquakes.

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