Rescue efforts continue after 700 injured in Taiwan earthquake

Rescue efforts are under way in Taiwan after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the island’s eastern coast, killing at least nine and injuring more than 800. Some 127 people are trapped in collapsed tunnels and on mountainous roads along the rugged coastline.

The epicentre was 18km (11 miles) south of Hualien city, but strong tremors were felt all the way in the capital Taipei, more than 100km away.

This is the strongest quake to hit Taiwan in 25 years. It also triggered tsunami alerts earlier in the day in nearby Japanese and Philippine islands which were later retracted. It caused the most damage in Hualien, where buildings fell, roads were blocked and train lines disrupted, leaving the remote region even more cut off from the rest of Taiwan.

But social media was soon filled with extraordinary footage of landslides along the coast. They tumbled down the mountains, making huge clouds billow up from the sea as they crashed into it.

Rescue operations to reach 77 people trapped in the Jinwen and Qingshui tunnels along the road in Hualien were continuing into the night. Wednesday’s earthquake hit at 07:58 local time (23:58 GMT) at a depth of 15.5km and set off at least nine aftershocks at magnitude 4 or larger.

Credit: bbc.com

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