Sunday, December 8, 2024

A 7.4 magnitude earthquake has struck Taiwan, killing at least 9 people and injuring nearly 1,000 others. what do you know.

Date:

A building in Hualien City, Taiwan, partially collapsed after a strong earthquake struck the island on Wednesday. (VCG via Getty Images)

A powerful earthquake struck Taiwan early Wednesday, collapsing buildings, killing at least nine people, trapping dozens, and injuring nearly a thousand people, officials there said.

The 7.4-magnitude quake was the strongest to hit the island in 25 years, damaging buildings, causing landslides and knocking out power to thousands of people.

📍 When and where did the earthquake occur?

Map showing Taiwan in relation to China.Map showing Taiwan in relation to China.
Yasin Demirci/Anadolu via Getty Images

According to the US Geological Survey, the epicenter of the quake was about 15 miles south of Hualien City, and occurred just before 8 a.m. local time. The quake triggered a tsunami warning, and was followed by at least 76 aftershocks in less than five hours, according to Taiwanese officials.

People have grown accustomed to regular earthquakes in Taiwan, which, according to the Associated Press, has some of the most advanced preparedness systems in the world. “Authorities said they expected a relatively mild earthquake and therefore did not send out alerts,” the Associated Press reported. “The earthquake was eventually strong enough to frighten even people accustomed to such shaking.”

🔎What was damaged?

Two buildings and a major highway in Hualien, a city on the east coast of Taiwan, suffered severe damage. A 10-storey residential and commercial building in Hualien, called the Uranus Building, partially collapsed. Many of its residents managed to escape, but others are feared missing.

A video widely circulated on social media showed the building leaning to one side, startling onlookers.

Other videos showed cars and buses swaying on a highway during the morning rush hour, and drivers stopped on a shuddering road.

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Television footage showed people, including a young child, climbing through the windows of another partially collapsed building while rescue workers rushed to evacuate it.

↘ What is the official death toll?

Members of a search and rescue team gather outside a lean-to building in Hualien City.Members of a search and rescue team gather outside a lean-to building in Hualien City.
Members of a search and rescue team gather outside a lean-to building in Hualien, Taiwan, on Wednesday. (National Fire Agency via AP)

According to the Taiwan Fire Department, the death toll from Wednesday's earthquake reached 9 people, while 70 people, all in Hualien County, are still trapped. Fire officials said at least 963 others were injured.

Rescue workers search for survivors under the rubble of a collapsed building in Hualien City.Rescue workers search for survivors under the rubble of a collapsed building in Hualien City.
Rescue workers search for survivors under the rubble of a collapsed building in Hualien City following Wednesday's earthquake. (Kaohsiung Fire Department/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Among the dead were three hikers who were injured by falling rocks on a trail in Taroko National Park. The truck driver died in the same area when rocks from the rockslide caused by the quake hit the vehicle, the Associated Press reported.

The fire department said 64 people were trapped in one rock quarry and six in another.

A car was severely damaged.A car was severely damaged.
A car was seriously damaged by falling rocks from a landslide in Taichung, Taiwan, on Wednesday. (Guguan Public Works Department/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The wreckage of a printing plant that collapsed in New Taipei.The wreckage of a printing plant that collapsed in New Taipei.
Debris of a printing plant that collapsed in New Taipei, Taiwan, following Wednesday's earthquake. (Daniel Singh/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
A rescue worker stands near the cordoned off site of a leaning building following the earthquake that struck Hualien City.A rescue worker stands near the cordoned off site of a leaning building following the earthquake that struck Hualien City.
A rescue worker stands in the street of a partially collapsed building in Hualien City on Wednesday evening. (Johnson Lai/AP)

Cover thumbnail: VCG via Getty Images.

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