At least nine individuals lost their lives, and over 1,000 others suffered injuries in the most potent earthquake to hit Taiwan in a quarter-century, according to the Taiwanese government.
The 7.4 magnitude quake struck shortly before 8 a.m. local time, with its epicenter near Hualien, a city on the eastern coast.
The island has experienced more than 100 aftershocks, including one measuring a preliminary magnitude of 6.5, also near Hualien, as reported by the U.S. Geological Survey.
All nine fatalities occurred in Hualien, according to Taiwan's National Fire Agency and the EMIC in Taipei. An additional 143 individuals are believed to be trapped, either under rubble or in other locations.
Among the trapped are at least 71 miners in two different rock quarries in cement factory areas, according to the Taiwanese Ministry of Health and Welfare.
Sixty-four of the trapped individuals are in Heping Mine, with seven miners trapped in Zhonghe Mine Heren Mining area.
Additionally, numerous tourists and employees are trapped in Hualian's Taroko National Park, including 47 employees at Silk Place Taroko Hotel and 24 tourists in the Jiuqu Cave tourist area, officials stated. The number of injuries increased throughout the day as authorities gathered information on the destruction.
At noon, emergency personnel reported 57 injuries across the island. By 2 p.m., the number had risen to 711 injuries, according to emergency officials.
The figure had climbed to 821 by the time authorities released their 4:30 p.m. update and rose again to 934 injured by 6 p.m., officials noted.
The total reached 1,011 injuries in the country's final update of the night Wednesday.
At least 317 of the injured were in Taipei and New Taipei City, located approximately 80 to 100 miles from the epicenter, officials stated.
A five-story house and another building in Hualien collapsed. A seven-decade-old low-rise house in Keelung and at least one other building in Taipei were reported to have falling debris.
Other damages reported included nine sections of local highways and 11 roads with falling stones or cracked pavements. The metro system and high-speed rail were suspended.
The highways in northern Yiland and eastern Hualien were closed off as a precautionary measure, according to the Taiwanese Highway Bureau.
Three small tsunamis were reported on islands between Japan's main island and Taiwan.
However, all tsunami warnings in Japan have been lifted. USGS officials stated that six other earthquakes with a magnitude of 7 or greater have struck the area in the last 50 years.
"The largest of these was an M 7.7 earthquake in September 1999 (the Chi-Chi earthquake) that resulted in at least 2,297 fatalities, caused damage estimated at $14 billion, and occurred 59 km east of the April 2, 2024, event," the USGS said.