Taiwanese rescuers braved powerful aftershocks to search for survivors in a dangerously leaning apartment block that was partially toppled by a quake, locating two more bodies early on 8 February to bring the death toll to nine as dozens remain missing
Taiwanese rescuers braved powerful aftershocks to search for survivors in a dangerously leaning apartment block that was partially toppled by a quake, locating two more bodies early on 8 February to bring the death toll to nine as dozens remain missing.
Taiwan was hit by another earthquake of 5.7 magnitudes on the eastern coast of the island, the government said late on 7 February after at least seven people were killed in a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that took place in the same area the previous night.
At least seven people were killed and 67 were still missing from the earthquake in the popular tourist city of Hualien as of 7 February, the government said in a statement. Recovery efforts are still being carried on in the area.
The major focus for emergency responders remained the Yun Tsui apartment block where the majority of the deaths occurred and dozens are still missing.
The lower floors of the 12-storey tower -- which also housed a hotel -- pancaked, leaving the structure learning at a fifty-degree angle and sparking fears of an imminent collapse.
Despite those risks, rescuers kept going into the building throughout last night morning in a desperate search for survivors.
Fire officials said up to 16 people have trapped the building in Hualien, an area popular with tourists on Taiwan's rugged east coast.
The first quake struck about 22 km (14 miles) northeast of Hualien shortly before midnight on 6 February, with its epicentre very shallow at just 1 km, the USGS said. Several aftershocks hit the area but there was no word of any tsunami warning.
The government said 214 people had been injured.
Hualien is home to about 1,00,000 people. Its streets were buckled by the force of the quake, with around 40,000 homes left without water and more than 600 without power.
President Tsai Ing-wen went to the scene of the quake early on 7 February to help direct rescue operations.
Hotels, Military Hospital Damaged in the Quake
President Tsai Ing-wen’s office in a statement.The president has asked the cabinet and related ministries to immediately launch the ‘disaster mechanism’ and to work at the fastest rate on disaster relief work.
Premier William Lai said the government was urgently repairing a major highway damaged by the quake.
Among the buildings toppled in the quake was the Marshal Hotel in Hualien, where two people were trapped inside, the government said.
Four other buildings, including two hotels and a military hospital, also tilted during the quake in Hualien, which is about 120 km (75 miles) south of the capital, Taipei.
"We were still open when it happened," said Lin Ching-wen, who operates a restaurant near the military hospital."I grabbed my wife and children and we ran out and tried to rescue people," he said.
The government said two bridges in the city were either cracked or could not be used due to the quake.
Taiwan Prone to Earthquakes
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, the world's largest contract chipmaker and major Apple supplier, said initial assessments indicated no impact from an earthquake in Hualien on 6 February, according to a spokeswoman.
The company's headquarters and some facilities are located in northern Hsinchu, where the shock of the 6.4 magnitude earthquake was not felt overnight, the spokeswoman said on 7 February.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck nearby on 4 February. Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China considers part of its territory, is prone to earthquakes.
Some people in Taiwan are still scarred by a 1999 earthquake with 7.6 magnitudes whose impact was felt across the island and in which more than 2,000 people died. More recently, an earthquake in 2016 in southern Taiwan left more than 100 dead.
Taiwan was hit by another earthquake of 5.7 magnitudes on the eastern coast of the island, the government said late on 7 February after at least seven people were killed in a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that took place in the same area the previous night.
At least seven people were killed and 67 were still missing from the earthquake in the popular tourist city of Hualien as of 7 February, the government said in a statement. Recovery efforts are still being carried on in the area.
The major focus for emergency responders remained the Yun Tsui apartment block where the majority of the deaths occurred and dozens are still missing.
The lower floors of the 12-storey tower -- which also housed a hotel -- pancaked, leaving the structure learning at a fifty-degree angle and sparking fears of an imminent collapse.
Despite those risks, rescuers kept going into the building throughout last night morning in a desperate search for survivors.
Fire officials said up to 16 people have trapped the building in Hualien, an area popular with tourists on Taiwan's rugged east coast.
The first quake struck about 22 km (14 miles) northeast of Hualien shortly before midnight on 6 February, with its epicentre very shallow at just 1 km, the USGS said. Several aftershocks hit the area but there was no word of any tsunami warning.
The government said 214 people had been injured.
Hualien is home to about 1,00,000 people. Its streets were buckled by the force of the quake, with around 40,000 homes left without water and more than 600 without power.
President Tsai Ing-wen went to the scene of the quake early on 7 February to help direct rescue operations.
Hotels, Military Hospital Damaged in the Quake
President Tsai Ing-wen’s office in a statement.The president has asked the cabinet and related ministries to immediately launch the ‘disaster mechanism’ and to work at the fastest rate on disaster relief work.
Premier William Lai said the government was urgently repairing a major highway damaged by the quake.
Among the buildings toppled in the quake was the Marshal Hotel in Hualien, where two people were trapped inside, the government said.
Four other buildings, including two hotels and a military hospital, also tilted during the quake in Hualien, which is about 120 km (75 miles) south of the capital, Taipei.
"We were still open when it happened," said Lin Ching-wen, who operates a restaurant near the military hospital."I grabbed my wife and children and we ran out and tried to rescue people," he said.
The government said two bridges in the city were either cracked or could not be used due to the quake.
Taiwan Prone to Earthquakes
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, the world's largest contract chipmaker and major Apple supplier, said initial assessments indicated no impact from an earthquake in Hualien on 6 February, according to a spokeswoman.
The company's headquarters and some facilities are located in northern Hsinchu, where the shock of the 6.4 magnitude earthquake was not felt overnight, the spokeswoman said on 7 February.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck nearby on 4 February. Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China considers part of its territory, is prone to earthquakes.
Some people in Taiwan are still scarred by a 1999 earthquake with 7.6 magnitudes whose impact was felt across the island and in which more than 2,000 people died. More recently, an earthquake in 2016 in southern Taiwan left more than 100 dead.