Earthquake Horror: Over 100 Trapped, 1,000 Injured in Taiwan Catastrophe!

Rescue teams in eastern Taiwan are working to reach more than 100 individuals trapped overnight following the strongest earthquake to hit the island in decades. The number of injured has surpassed 1,000.

Aftershocks continued to shake the island a day after the 7.4 magnitude quake struck just south of Hualien County, the worst-affected region, killing at least nine people, damaging buildings, and triggering landslides. 

Taiwanese officials have warned that aftershocks as high as magnitude 7 could continue until the end of the week.

Hong Changyi, a resident of Hualien, told CNN that his liquor store was in one of the buildings destroyed by the quake. 

"All my goods, including all my supplies on the bottom floor were destroyed," he said. "My mind has gone blank, seeing that all of my life’s work has vanished. 

The shops that have been operating for over a decade are gone in one morning, it’s painful to see. But people are safe, so that’s fortunate."

Despite the quake's magnitude, the death toll remains relatively low, and damage seems contained. Apart from the nine fatalities, 1,050 individuals were injured, with 46 missing or uncontactable. Taiwan’s National Fire Agency reported 101 people still trapped or stranded, with rescue operations ongoing.

Efforts are concentrated on rescuing over 60 individuals stranded in a quarry in Hualien, as well as reaching those isolated in surrounding mountain gorges, a popular tourist destination for hikers. 

One person was killed by rockfall in a second quarry, but six others were rescued, with footage showing a helicopter airlifting them from a narrow outcrop of rock high in the mountains.

Despite road and rail closures hindering access to the quake’s epicenter in Hualien County, the full extent of the earthquake damage is still being assessed. 

Videos and images showed several collapsed buildings in Hualien, and sections of the Suhua highway, a narrow and winding cliff road connecting Hualien with the north of Taiwan, completely crumbled or blocked by large boulders and rockfall.

Residents in Hualien spent the night outside due to the ongoing threat of aftershocks. Taiwan's high-speed rail services have resumed on all lines, and cleanup efforts are underway in Hualien.

Lin Chih-cheng, from Taiwan’s Professional Civil Engineers Association in Hualien, stated that 100 buildings have been assessed as dangerous, with demolition work already initiated on about a dozen unsafe buildings. 

Taiwan, a self-ruled island east of mainland China, is home to about 23 million people, most of whom reside in the industrialized cities of its west coast, including the capital.

Hualien County, with about 300,000 residents, is located on the island’s sparsely populated east coast.