Earthquake in Taiwan: searches continue for over 600 people trapped or missing after the earthquake

Rescue teams continued their search work this Thursday more than 600 people trapped or missing after the earthquake that shook the eastern coast of Taiwan last Wednesday, the second most intense in the history of the island.

According to the latest data from the Emergency Response Center (CEOC), The earthquake caused the deaths of ten peoplethe last of them 65-year-old hiker buried by rocks in Taroko National Parkwhile another 1,067 were injured.

Rescuers are focusing their efforts on finding the over 600 people trapped in this park, one of the main tourist spots in Taiwandifficult to access due to poor ground conditions and continuous aftershocks.

In fact, the Central Meteorological Agency (CWA) counted more than 400 aftershocks from the earthquake, all located in the surrounding area. from eastern Hualien Countyarea closest to the epicenter of the earthquake.

Additionally, a front is expected to leave “short and localized” rain in mountainous areas of central and eastern Taiwan in the coming hours, which will increase the “risk of landslides, rockfalls and avalanches,” the CEOC said. it’s a statement.

“The CEOC remains continuously operational. The rescue of trapped and missing people is of the utmost urgency, every second counts,” said the organization, which coordinated the deployment of 7,860 military, police and firefighters, as well as 16 aircraft and 710 vehicles to collaborate. rescue tasks.

Re-establishment of connections with Hualien

The bright side is that 70 people left the mining areas of Hualien alive: Six were rescued by helicopter early in the morning, the others came down the mountain alone at midday.

Six more students from Dong Hwa National University were found safe this morning, after one of the education center’s buildings suffered a major fire following the earthquake, with damage estimated at 400 million Taiwan dollars (12.47 million dollars, 11.49 million euros), according to the state news agency CNA.

Communications with Hualien, which had been partially isolated after the earthquake, were also partially restored earlier in the day to coincide with the start of the Tomb Sweeping Festival (Qingming in Mandarin), although many sections of the road suffered severe damage.

The railway line between Yilan and Hualien counties operations resumed at 6 in the morning, much earlier than initially expected by the authorities, after the employees of the State Railways They will spend the entire night clearing the tracks and repairing damaged sections.

Semiconductor companies, for their part, they reported “minimal” deterioration. after the earthquake: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the largest chip manufacturer in the world and one of the most important companies in Taiwan, managed to restore over 70% of its production lines after the earthquake.

The most intense earthquake since 1999

The earthquake, measuring 7.2 magnitude according to the CWA and 7.4 according to the United States Geological Survey, was the most intense that Taiwan has suffered since September 21, 1999, when a 7.6 magnitude tremor killed more than 2,400 people and wounded others. over 11,300.

Taiwan is present the confluence of the Philippine and Eurasian plates, therefore earthquakes are frequent on the island.

EFE