A powerful earthquake struck Taiwan on Wednesday, resulting in at least nine fatalities and over 900 injuries, making it the strongest quake to hit the region in 25 years, as reported by the Taiwanese government.
The 7.4 magnitude earthquake occurred just before 8 a.m. local time, with its epicenter near Hualien, a city on the eastern coast.
The U.S. Geological Survey recorded over 100 aftershocks, including one with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5, also near Hualien.
All nine reported deaths were in Hualien, according to Taiwan's National Fire Agency and the EMIC in Taipei. By 6 p.m., authorities believed 56 individuals were still trapped under rubble, down from the 127 initially reported missing.
The number of injured individuals rose throughout the day, as authorities assessed the extent of the destruction. At noon, there were 57 reported injuries across the island, which climbed to 711 by 2 p.m. and further increased to 934 by 6 p.m.
Of the injured, at least 317 were in Taipei and New Taipei City, cities located 80 to 100 miles from the epicenter. Significant structural damage occurred, including the collapse of a five-story house and another building in Hualien, as well as falling debris from a seven-decade-old low-rise house in Keelung and at least one building in Taipei.
Additional damage included nine sections of local highways and 11 roads with falling stones or cracked pavements.
The metro system and high-speed rail were suspended, while highways in northern Yiland and eastern Hualien were closed as a precaution, according to the Taiwanese Highway Bureau.
Although there were reports of three small tsunamis on islands between Japan's main island and Taiwan, all tsunami warnings in Japan were subsequently lifted.
USGS officials noted that six other earthquakes with a magnitude of 7 or greater have occurred in the area in the last 50 years, with the largest being an M 7.7 earthquake in September 1999 (the Chi-Chi earthquake), which resulted in at least 2,297 fatalities and caused an estimated $14 billion in damage, occurring 59 km east of the April 2, 2024, event.