Taiwan’s biggest earthquake in at least 25 years killed nine people on Wednesday, injuring more than 800, and 50 went missing on their way to a national park, authorities said, as rescuers used ladders to lift others. in safety.
Television broadcast images of buildings leaning at precarious angles in the mountainous, sparsely populated eastern county of Hualien, near the epicenter of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake, which struck the coast at around 8 a.m. (9 p.m. Tuesday). -Friday Brasília time).
“It was very strong. It felt like the house was going to fall,” said Chang Yu-lin, 60, a hospital worker in Taipei, the capital.
A woman who runs a bed and breakfast in the city of Hualien said she had difficulty calming her guests who were frightened by the earthquake.
“This is the biggest earthquake I’ve ever seen,” said the woman, who asked to be identified only by her surname, Chan.
The earthquake struck at a depth of 15.5 km just as people were heading to work and school, triggering a tsunami warning for southern Japan and the Philippines, which was later withdrawn.
Video showed rescue workers using ladders to help people out of windows, while elsewhere there were landslides, and strong tremors in Taipei forced the subway system to briefly close, although most lines have resumed service. .
Fire officials said they were slowly evacuating some of the people trapped in tunnels near the city of Hualien, including two Germans.
But they lost contact with 50 travelers aboard four minibuses heading to a hotel in a national park, Taroko Gorge, they said, without giving details.
The government put the number of injured at 821.
“Right now, the most important thing, the top priority, is rescuing people,” said President-elect Lai Ching-te, speaking outside one of the buildings that collapsed in Hualien.
The rail link to the region is expected to reopen on Thursday, Lai, who will take up the role next month, told reporters.
Taiwan’s Air Force reported that six F-16 fighter jets were slightly damaged at a major base in the city, where the jets are often launched to avoid incursions by the Chinese Air Force, but the aircraft are expected to return to service very soon. .
In Japan, the weather agency put the earthquake’s magnitude at 7.7, saying several smaller tsunami waves hit parts of the southern prefecture of Okinawa, and downgraded the tsunami warning to a warning.
In the Philippines, seismological authorities warned coastal residents in several provinces to move to higher ground.
Chinese state media said the earthquake was felt in the southeastern province of Fujian, and a Reuters witness said it was also felt in the commercial hub of Shanghai.
Aftershocks can still be felt in Taipei, with more than 50 recorded, according to meteorological authorities.
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