Rescue teams in eastern Taiwan are working to reach over 100 individuals trapped overnight following the most powerful earthquake to strike the island in decades, with the number of injured surpassing 1,000.
Aftershocks continue to shake the island a day after the 7.4 magnitude quake hit just south of Hualien County, the most affected area, claiming at least nine lives, causing buildings to collapse, and triggering landslides.
Taiwanese officials caution that aftershocks as strong as magnitude 7 could persist until the week's end.
Hong Changyi, a resident of Hualien, recounted to CNN the destruction of his liquor store in one of the buildings toppled by the quake.
"All my goods, including all my supplies on the bottom floor, were destroyed," he lamented.
"My mind has gone blank, seeing that all of my life’s work has vanished." Despite the devastation, he expressed gratitude that lives were spared. "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."
The death toll, relatively low for such a significant quake, stood at nine, with 1,050 injured and 46 missing or unaccounted for. Rescue operations were ongoing, with 101 individuals still trapped or stranded, according to Taiwan’s National Fire Agency.
While many were rescued overnight, efforts were concentrated on freeing over 60 people stranded in a quarry in Hualien and reaching those isolated in surrounding mountain gorges, a popular spot for hikers.
One person perished in a second quarry due to rockfall, though six others were rescued, as shown in dramatic footage from the fire agency, where a helicopter airlifted them from a narrow outcrop of rock high in the mountains.
Drone footage from CNN affiliate CTS displayed workers at the damaged quarry perched on the edge of a steep cliff high above the gorge. Among the trapped were 50 employees of the Silks Place Hotel Taroko, who were traveling to work in minibuses when the quake struck.
After being unreachable for most of Wednesday, three workers managed to hike to the hotel and reported that the rest were safe, according to Central News Agency.
The full extent of the damage was still being assessed, with road and some rail closures hampering access to the quake’s epicenter in Hualien County.
However, videos and images depicted 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 away or blocked by large boulders and rockfall.
Some residents in Hualien spent the night outdoors due to the ongoing threat of aftershocks. Reuters reported that people slept in tents in a sports ground converted into a temporary shelter.
"The aftershocks were terrifying.
It’s non-stop. I do not dare to sleep in the house," said a 52-year-old Hualien resident surnamed Yu.
Details emerged about those who died in the quake, with most killed by fallen rocks, including hikers, road workers, and those at scenic spots in mountainous areas, as reported by Central News Agency. CNN affiliate SET reported that one woman was killed in the partially collapsed Uranus building in Hualien after initially escaping but returning to rescue her pet cat.
Wednesday’s quake is the strongest to hit Taiwan since 1999, according to the Central Weather Administration.
That year, a 7.7 magnitude quake struck south of Taipei, killing 2,400 people and injuring 10,000 others.
However, the damage and limited deaths from Wednesday’s quake are considerably lower.
Local media reported that Taiwan’s high-speed rail services have resumed on all lines, and teams are clearing debris in Hualien. Lin Chih-cheng, from Taiwan’s Professional Civil Engineers Association in Hualien, stated that 100 buildings have been assessed as dangerous, and demolition work had begun on about a dozen unsafe buildings.
Taiwan, a self-governing island east of mainland China, is home to approximately 23 million people, with most residing in the industrialized cities of its west coast, including the capital.
Hualien County, known for its mountainous and remote areas, is home to about 300,000 people on the island’s sparsely populated east coast. A magnitude 6.2 quake struck near the area in 2018, killing at least 17 people and injuring more than 300 others.