May 5 (CNA) A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33 kilometers off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area with aftershocks expected over the next three days the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said Monday Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking pretty much all of Taiwan at 6:53 p.m six other earthquakes over a magnitude of 4 starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09 p.m. director of the CWA's Seismological Center confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was a "foreshock" while the 5.9 quake was the main shock CWA's Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu CNA file photoBecause the CWA initially thought the magnitude 5.5 quake might be the main shock only to be supplanted by the 5.9 quake 44 minutes later Wu said aftershocks in the magnitude 5 to 5.5 range were still possible in the next three days The magnitude 5.9 earthquake was felt around most of Taiwan The highest intensity level of 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale was registered in Hualien City Taroko and Tongmen in the northern half of Hualien County Intensity levels of 3 were recorded in Yilan County to the north and in Nantou County on Hualien County's western border the only aftershock that had occurred in the area after the 6:53 p.m 12.3 kilometers west-northwest of the Hualien County government offices Close Donate now: Support recovery from severe storms across the U.S. Support recovery now Support recovery now a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck just southwest of Hualien City and communication and transportation infrastructure (The Taiwan Ministry of National Defense conducts search and rescue missions after the earthquake, April 5, 2024. Photo credit: Ministry of National Defense via X) The Taiwan government does a great job supporting the needs of disaster-affected communities and individuals the need is not as high as it is in low—and middle-income communities Ensuring the continuity of health care in disaster-affected areas is critical, given the damage to buildings and the challenges with access because of damage to some roads. Immediately following the earthquake, Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare exempted 403 Hualien earthquake survivors from insurance premium fees for six months and provided additional subsidies Survivors of earthquakes often deal with lasting trauma and the need for mental health and psychosocial support services increases A study analyzed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among children and adolescents after earthquakes and floods and suggests that rapid screening tests and continuous observation are needed for children and adolescents after disasters The Ministry of Agriculture estimated damages to be around $2.53 million mostly coming from the fishing and livestock industry in Hualien County The Ministry of Education reported damages to 434 schools If you have questions about donating to the CDP Global Recovery Fund, need help with your disaster-giving strategy or want to share how you’re responding to this disaster, please contact development (Photo: The Taiwan Ministry of National Defense conducts search and rescue missions after the earthquake, April 5, 2024. Credit: Ministry of National Defense via X) If you are a responding NGO, please send updates on how you are working on recovery from this disaster to Tanya Gulliver-Garcia We welcome the republication of our content. Please credit the Center for Disaster Philanthropy As with most disasters, CDP and other disaster experts recommend cash donations, which enable on-the-ground agencies to direct funds to the greatest area of need support economic recovery and ensure donation management does not detract from disaster recovery needs See them all earthquakes often are among the most devastating disasters Caused by the movement of plates along fault lines on the earth’s surface earthquakes often leave a monumental path of instant death and destruction Critical Infrastructure and Systems (CIS) are the structures people rely on to perform their everyday tasks goods and information moving around the world while also keeping people safe and healthy Water is one of the most necessary elements for life yet according to the World Health Organization/UNICEF 2.1 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water 4.5 billion people lack safely-managed sanitation facilities sanitation and hygiene (WASH) principles are of tremendous concern in everyday life but can be heightened during an emergency or disaster Give with confidence The Center for Disaster Philanthropy is a 501(c)(3) charity that has earned Charity Navigator’s four-star rating and Candid’s Platinum Transparency seal Made with by creatives with a conscience We cover clients in a range of sectors from banking and insurance to corporations and public sector organizations and lending to balance sheet and portfolio management so that you can make informed decisions and navigate risk with confidence Whether you’re looking for structured finance expertise or macroeconomic data and more—help you proactively mitigate risk Our latest research and insights on interconnected risk Need more information or can’t find what you’re looking for Still the strongest and most damaging earthquake recorded in Taiwan during the twentieth century the Chi-Chi earthquake generated up to 10 meters (33 feet) of vertical displacement in the region of the epicenter (Moh et al. Generating thirty seconds of strong ground shaking and ground deformation damage up to 120 meters (400 feet) from the fault rupture thousands of landslides were triggered in the epicentral region These landslides cut off access to several mountain villages and ground settlement also contributing to the event impact (Internal) Over 8,500 buildings were destroyed and 6,200 more were seriously damaged with around 90 percent of damaged structures concentrated in the Nantou and Taichung counties with 53 percent in Nantou County (Tsai et al. there was a fairly uniform building stock in Taiwan mainly consisting of reinforced concrete structures with infill walls and open layouts on the ground floor Many impacted structures failed at the ground floor level due to a lack of reinforcement from supporting columns (Internal) with around five percent of the building stock at the time a large percentage of the impacted buildings were traditional mud brick construction 43.5 percent of casualties were attributed to mud brick residences compared to 35 percent of casualties from reinforced concrete buildings (Jaiswal et al. Transmission lines running through the Chungliao substation in Nantou County responsible for distributing power to over 10 million customers across the island were damaged causing widespread power outages in all central and northern Taiwan (Moh et al. Along with many other industrial facilities some 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) southwest of Taipei – responsible for over 50 percent of total semiconductor sales relies on uninterrupted power supply for operations (Internal) Rolling outages across the island caused significant and lasting production delays for electronic and semiconductor manufacturers incurring large losses from business interruption (Internal) Surface faulting and ground deformation during the 1999 earthquake caused extensive damage to roads and bridges in Taichung significantly impacting travel and rescue efforts (Internal) Many central mountain villages could not be reached due to highway and road closures (Internal) Taiwan has seen improvements in building codes and coordination in rescue and relief efforts (Buckley Taiwan’s building code is similar to the Uniform Building Code (UBC) used in the Western United States and thousands of buildings across the island have been reviewed and retrofitted with another round of building inspections taking place after the 2018 earthquake in Hualien (Buckley The most powerful event since the Chi-Chi earthquake was an Mw7.5 earthquake on April 3 only 18 kilometers (11 miles) from the city of Hualien and felt as far away as Hong Kong and Shanghai most buildings in the impacted area remained intact and standing (Buckley Eighteen fatalities and just over 1,000 people injured were reported but this figure is much lower than the >2400 of the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake and other Mw7.5 events in recent global history Despite the significant magnitude of this event the building improvements were evident from the relatively low number of casualties and injuries and limited damage to infrastructure and the built environment If the Chi-Chi earthquake were to occur again today Taiwan would face an insured loss of just under US$12 billion and an economic loss estimated at around US$60 billion (Internal) The largest portion of the insured losses comes from industrial facilities followed by residential insurance provided by the TREIF (Internal) Spurred by the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake to provide a safety net for homeowners and strengthen the population’s insurance provision and financial resilience to earthquake-induced losses the Taiwanese government set up the Taiwan Residential Earthquake Insurance Program (TREIF The fund deals with the potential accumulation of residential property with two missions: to increase residential earthquake penetration rate and to raise public awareness and disaster preparedness (TREIF TREIF provides affordable earthquake coverage guaranteed for residents by the government and covers the actual total loss or constructive total loss which includes anything over 50 percent of the reinstatement cost (AXCO Earthquake insurance penetration in Taiwan reaches 38.6 percent of all households as of July 31 and is slowly increasing with approximately 3.61 million policies (TREIF The TREIF also contributes to public awareness and education through lectures and collaboration with the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction to reach out to homeowners in rural areas (TREIF Located in the Circum-Pacific seismic zone one of the world’s three major seismic zones Taiwan has high levels of seismic activity (TREIF It has been hit by twenty earthquakes of Mw5.5 or higher fifteen of which reached Mw6.0 or higher since 1999 (USGS ~100,000) on Taiwan’s central east coast has seen many Mw6.0 and higher events in the past 25 years an Mw6.4 earthquake struck 22 kilometers north-northwest of Hualien City killing 17 people and injuring over 250 others (Internal) the largest event in a sequence of events in the region over several days (USGS Multiple multi-story buildings sustained substantial damage along with many highways and bridges (Internal) a Mw7.4 earthquake - the strongest earthquake recorded in Taiwan in 25 years since the Chi-Chi earthquake of 1999 hit 11 miles south-southwest of Hualien City but thankfully with a much lower impact than in 1999 (Chang Hualien was hit by two earthquakes (Mw6.1 and Mw6.0) on April 23 with ground shaking felt across Hualien County and Taipei but only minor damage was reported (Internal) Another Mw 6.1 event was recorded on August 15 While not decreasing in severity and magnitude the earthquakes impacting Hualien City caused fewer detrimental impacts on infrastructure and physical structures (Buckley Taiwan is dominant in the global semiconductor industry producing approximately 60 percent of the world’s semiconductors and over 90 percent of advanced chips – all critical components for devices made by many companies including Apple Any stop to production in Taiwan could be devastating across the global supply chain (Duffy Given some semiconductor manufacturing requires continuous even minor disruptions can cause significant losses (Duffy Island-wide power failures from the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake impacted manufacturing facilities with an estimated US$400 million in losses for semiconductors halfway through production when the earthquake hit (Moh et al. the majority of Taiwan’s microelectronics industry was concentrated in the Hsinchu Science-Based Industrial Park (HSBIP) home to around 30 semiconductor plants (Lee et al. The science park is 100 kilometers north of the Chi-Chi epicenter and only minor physical damage was recorded due to the distance from the epicenter along with the seismic design of the manufacturing complexes (Sherin et al. But even without severe damage to physical structures at the HSBIP losses only eight days after the earthquake were estimated at US$400 million (NT$12.5 billion) with 95 percent coming from business interruption (Lee et al. The power failure would have created greater disruption to the industry if state-owned Taipower had not implemented power ration schemes to give priority to HSBIP and other critical facilities (Lee et al. Taiwan experienced an earthquake on April 3 even minor shaking and slight damage to the facilities of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) caused initial loss estimates reported at US$92.44 million (NT $3 billion) (Buckley an Mw7.1 earthquake occurred with an epicenter only 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the city of Hsinchu showing the possibility for a significant earthquake to strike close to a critical area for the semiconductor industry (Sherin et al. with an expansion of the semiconductor industry to the southern part of the island also a seismically active region (Sherin et al. it is estimated that business interruption exposure in the general insurance sector could reach up to US$320 million (NT$10 billion) due to impacts on the high-tech sector This imminent risk makes it necessary to look at the potential for an earthquake with an epicenter closer to the science park For a major earthquake with an epicenter closer to the HSBIP with peak ground accelerations of 0.35g or greater the impact on the semiconductor industry would be more severe (Sherin et al. Lateral displacement or overturning of equipment potential hazardous gas release in facilities without seismic gas shutdowns and structural damage to the facilities are all plausible for manufacturers in the science parks (Sherin et al. business interruption and losses would be measured in months rather than hours and the economic loss could exceed US$10 billion (NT $315 billion) (Sherin et al. Taiwan is a powerful example of a comprehensive approach to earthquake resilience not only through physical and economic aspects but also social and organizational dimensions Buckley, C., Tobin, M., Zhao, S., & Fei, L. Y. (2024, April 4). Why Taiwan was so prepared for a powerful earthquake? The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/04/world/asia/taiwan-hualien-earthquake-prepared.html Chang, W., Gan, N., & Watson, I. (2024, April 5). Taiwan shaken but unbowed as biggest quake in 25 years spotlights preparedness - and lessons learned. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/05/asia/taiwan-hualien-earthquake-resilience-dst-intl-hnk/index.html Cumulative liability and take-up rate. (2024a, August 15). 首頁 (Taiwan Residential Earthquake Insurance Fund). https://www.treif.org.tw/en/xmdoc/cont?xsmsid=0L314503883427467657 Duffy, C. (2024, April 4). The Taiwan earthquake is a stark reminder of the risks to the region’s chipmaking industry. CNN Business. https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/03/tech/taiwan-earthquake-risks-semiconductor-chip-industry-tsmc/index.html Introduction to the TREIF. (2024b, April 2). 首頁 (Taiwan Residential Earthquake Insurance Fund). https://www.treif.org.tw/en/xmdoc/cont?xsmsid=0L314500064187599532 Creating a global building inventory for earthquake loss assessment and risk management Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008-1160 Lee, G. C., & Loh, C.-H. (2000, April 30). The Chi-Chi, Taiwan Earthquake of September 21, 1999: Reconnaissance Report. MCEER. https://www.eng.buffalo.edu/mceer-reports/00/00-0003.pdf Lee, Y.-T., Turcotte, D. L., Rundle, J. B., & Chen, C.-C. (2012). Aftershock statistics of the 1999 Chi–chi, Taiwan earthquake and the concept of Omori Times. Pure and Applied Geophysics, 170(1–2), 221–228. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-011-0445-5 Moh, Z.-C. N., Hwang, R. N., Ueng, T.-S., & Lin, M.-L. (2000). 1999 Chi Chi Earthquake of Taiwan. http://www.maa.com.tw/common/publications/2000/2000-037.pdf NOAA. (n.d.). Significant earthquake information. NCEI Global Historical Hazard Database. https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/earthquake/event-more-info/5535 Robinson, S. (1999, September 22). Taiwan’s chip plants left idle by earthquake. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/22/business/taiwan-s-chip-plants-left-idle-by-earthquake.html Taiwan’s 921 quake and what it means to the semiconductor industry Taiwan earthquake. (2023, February 24). 首頁 (Taiwan Residential Earthquake Insurance Fund). https://www.treif.org.tw/en/xmdoc/cont?xsmsid=0L314514077015516799 Taiwan. (2024, July). AXCO reports. https://www.axco.co.uk/axcoiq/country-report/226?instanceId=8270#226-0 2023 TREIF Annual Report. (2023). 首頁 (Taiwan Residential Earthquake Insurance Fund). https://www.treif.org.tw/files/file_pool/1/0o204610887702138855/112%e5%b9%b4%e5%a0%b1.pdf Overview of Building Damages in 921 Chi-Chi Earthquake Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Seismology USGS. (2018, February 6). M 6.4 - 18 km NNE of Hualien City, Taiwan. Earthquake hazards program. https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us1000chhc/shakemap/intensity USGS. (2024a, April 2). M 7.4 - 15 km S of Hualien City, Taiwan. Earthquake hazards program. https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000m9g4/executive USGS. (2024b, August 15). M 6.1 - 20 km SE of Hualien City, Taiwan. Earthquake hazards program. https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000n7b8/executive TSMC estimates losses of $92.4 mln due to Taiwan earthquake https://www.reuters.com/technology/tsmc-estimates-losses-924-mln-due-taiwan-earthquake-2024-04-18/ discover how Moody’s best-in-class approach to catastrophe modeling is helping clients to quantify the potential impact of catastrophic events Note: Moody’s Corporation is comprised of separate divisions. Moody's Ratings publishes credit ratings and provides assessment services on a wide range of debt obligations, programs and facilities, and the entities that issue such obligations in markets worldwide, including various corporate, financial institution and governmental obligations, and structured finance securities. Moody's Ratings products are set out here All other products and solutions described on this site are provided by Moody's ratings.moodys.com © 2025 Moody’s Corporation, Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., Moody’s Analytics, Inc. and/or their licensors and affiliates (collectively, “MOODY’S”). All rights reserved. Note: Moody's does not post ratings to its social media accounts little more than a decade after the first commercial railway opened in Shanghai built under the watch of Qing Dynasty governor Liu Ming-Chuan The section reaching Hualien was completed under the Japanese rule of the island What’s amazing about the Railway Culture Park apart from your chance to learn the whole story is the presence of preserved Japanese steam locomotives Drink tea at Miao Kou Red Tea Famous for its hearty snacks and brass tubes – through which piping hot cups of tea are dropped from the first-floor kitchen – Miao Kou is open 24 hours and always attracts a crowd of devotees Expect to queue and don’t expect delicate Chinese brews – this is as close as Hualien gets to a greasy spoon Your brew will be presented to you on a paper cup; meanwhile irresistibly kitsch floral-pattern crockery is used for serving the omelette sandwiches a shop favourite with a gooey marshmallow centre Taiwan’s diversity of street food is dizzying: you’ll encounter delicious flavours and combinations you probably won’t have ever tasted before: there’s peanut ice-cream roll; syrup-smothered (potato-like) taro balls; jet-black garlic and chilli iron eggs (hard-boiled in soy sauce); and chicken stew-filled ‘coffin bread’ (hollowed loaf) More than 400 stalls sizzle with woks and bubble with broths at Dongdamen Night Market in the old Hualien railway station on the eastern edge of town It might just be the best spot in the region to fill your face Check out local art at Fogstand This joint Taiwanese and American art gallery and studio (with an artist-in-residence programme) showcases contemporary work by emerging creatives runs workshops and encourages international art exchange There are two galleries – in Hualien and in Hamline-Midway in St Shows have included conceptual pieces by Aberdeen artist John Nicol and Singapore artist Kaifeng Chun and films focused on memory and place by Taiwanese artist Jin Da Lin It is a thought-provoking and memorable place for anyone interested in notions of identity and belonging built in 1915 by order of Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa It was demolished in 1981 and replaced with the current Taoist building which remembers local martyrs who died resisting invasion a Ming loyalist who fought against the 17th Century Qing conquest and the Dutch invasion of Taiwan; also Liu Yongfu who resisted the first Japanese and became president of the short-lived Republic of Formosa Aim to spend an hour or so in this meditative Relax at Pine Garden Set within a lawned garden overlooking the city and the Mei Lun River this ivy-festooned mansion is the best-preserved Japanese military building in Taiwan it served as the regional headquarters of the Japanese Navy Kamikaze pilots were blessed here with cherry wine In 1945 it became a resort for vacationing US troops and in 2000 it opened in its current location as a historical attraction Come to enjoy the swoony Pacific Ocean views Sign up to our newsletter to save up to $800 on our unique trips See privacy policy Walk the old railway lines This short stretch of Hualien’s abandoned old railway has been repurposed as a hipster shopping street You can still see the tracks in the cobbles overlooked by fashionable clothing boutiques and cafes The area is a honeypot for teenage and twentysomething Taiwanese revellers who gather in the cafes of an evening Mingle with them as they swap stories over barista-prepared cappuccinos and be sure to wander the street before heading for food at nearby Dongdamen Night Market Browse the Hualien County Stone Sculpture Museum Naturally sculpted stones have been venerated in China since ancient times and were classified according to their beauty as far back as the 7th century It’s still common to see Gong Shi or “scholars rocks” outside temples and smaller stones in family shrines often sitting on a bespoke-carved rosewood pedestal This modern museum and garden are devoted to Gong Shi and to artificially carved stone including hardstone carving (which is one of China’s oldest arts) and contemporary work central Nanbin Park is a godsend for locals seeking recreational downtime Top tip: it’s at its best early in the morning dotted with sculptures depicting daily life and marine animals with coarse sands perfect for ambling along For more sunbather-suitable sands head north of town The Taroko Gorge is a canyon measuring 3km (2mi) deep forged by the foaming Liwu river through the mountains west of Hualien it’s a beautiful place for a drive-by visit or a more adventurous river-bed hike swimming in icy pools and hot springs and disappearing into the beauty of the landscape If you click on a link in this story All recommendations have been independently sourced by Culture Trip Read Next Guides & Tips The Best Places to Travel in October See & Do The Best Hiking Trails in Taiwan See & Do Epic Places in Taiwan Even Locals Don't Know About Guides & Tips 13 Hilarious Arabic Swear Words and Phrases See & Do The Top 7 Things to See and Do in Wanhua See & Do The Coolest Neighborhoods in Taichung See & Do 10 of the Oldest Cities in the World See & Do The Best Places for an Asian Spring Break Guides & Tips The Best Places to Travel in November See & Do The 10 Best Things to See and Do in Hualien City US: +1 (678) 967 4965 | UK: +44 (0)1630 35000 tripssupport@theculturetrip.com © Copyright 2025 The Culture Trip Ltd. 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All rights reserved Hualien County prosecutors yesterday searched offices and questioned 11 people in relation to accusations that the county government illegally sent representatives to people’s homes to verify their identity on a recall petition The controversy arose last month when a Hualien County resident said that a woman who claimed to be from the Hualien City Household Registration Office asked about her information on a recall petition The Hualien District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said it had opened an investigation after receiving evidence reported to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office last month The office said it ordered the Investigation Bureau’s Hualien authorities to inquire about relevant documents from the Hualien County Election Commission and question personnel It said it came to the conclusion that Hualien County Civil Affairs Department Director Ming Liang-chen (明良臻) and other officials involved knew that verifying recall petitioners’ identities falls under the authority of local election commissions the commission did not entrust the Hualien City Household Registration Office to verify recall petitioners’ signatures Ming and the other defendants allegedly misused personal data from the register of recall petitioners while the household registration office was verifying petitioners’ household information as ordered by the commission They are suspected of contravening articles 16 41 and 44 of the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) Prosecutors yesterday ordered the Hualien County Investigation Station to search the county’s Civil Affairs Department and the household registration office to obtain evidence adding that prosecutors would continue to investigate neutrally and objectively The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday in a statement condemned the governing party for using judicial power to bar local election commissions from verifying recall petitioners’ identities as required by law According to Article 79 of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) local election commissions should verify recall petitioners’ identities ID and whether their signature is authentic adding that verifying such information with petitioners in person is not prohibited by the act Given that the prosecutors’ office is interfering with the county government’s administration concern has been raised over whether the Democratic Progressive Party is preparing to forge signatures in second-stage recall petitions and threatening local election commissions not to verify the signatures That would undermine the executive branch’s power to exercise its public authority and the nation’s legal system calling on the government not to bar public servants from enforcing the law to protect civil rights As the aftermath of the 2024 Hualien earthquake shows they can also protect sovereignty in an increasingly disaster-prone world which caused over 2,000 deaths) as evidence that investments in improved building standards authorities in Taipei not only spared their community and economy the catastrophic consequences of a major disaster they also bought themselves room to manoeuvre in the international spotlight during the earthquake’s aftermath This means more than simply being lauded by the global emergency management community offer lessons for other jurisdictions jealous of their sovereignty in an increasingly disaster-prone world Sovereignty means being able to say no… Poor or weak governments, confronted by devastating disasters in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries, may have little choice but to cede control of their emergency management and recovery activities to foreign governments or international non-governmental organisations By investing in disaster risk reduction and emergency management capabilities governments build domestic capacity and reduce the size of required response and recovery efforts This allows them to manage more events by deploying domestic resources or relying on a small number of preferred international partners This was a rerun of a similar exchanges following previous earthquakes If the 2024 earthquake had inflicted more damage it may have been more difficult for Taipei to decline Taiwan would probably never accept an offer of assistance from Beijing if there was an alternative but saying “no” is easier when the need is less Taipei also avoided the need to seek substantive assistance from partners such as the United States which could have created unwelcome diplomatic friction between Washington and Beijing International disaster aid is a form of disaster diplomacy providing opportunities for countries to build relationships and foster public goodwill Given Taiwan’s contested international position the implicit recognition and public demonstrations of solidarity from key regional partners is valuable Taipei has created an environment in which it can accept this largely symbolic assistance reaping the diplomatic benefits without having to negotiate the conditions that might attend larger contributions Taipei deepened a relationship of mutual benefit that creates opportunities for both countries to offer and accept support from positions of strength after future disasters Investment in disaster risk reduction does not eliminate the risk of disaster events but it can reduce their frequency and the size of the response and recovery task This increases the number of events that can be managed with domestic resources and increases the chance that disasters that exceed domestic capabilities can be managed effectively with the aid of a small number of preferred partners who can be persuaded to provide support on favourable terms It would be a mistake to read too much into Beijing’s offer of assistance following the 2024 Hualien earthquake Both sides were following the usual playbook But the earthquake is a reminder that decisions about when to accept disaster aid can be an important way for governments to exercise control in the face of otherwise uncontrollable circumstances Investments in resilience not only protect lives and property; in an environment of escalating disaster risks they also safeguard the sovereignty of the state itself Christopher Heard is a disaster risk reduction and emergency management policy expert with a particular interest in disaster risk finance and governance He studied economics at Northwestern University and the University of Queensland and is based in Hobart This article is published under a Creative Commons License and may be republished with attribution The Dragon and Phoenix: How Beijing is Winning Battles in Its “Peaceful War” with the United StatesBy Professor Patrick Mendis  and Professor Antonina Luszczykiewicz-Mendis02 July 2024Beijing has discretely employed a “red thread” of dragon and phoenix strategy to compete in the sea and air with its global rival—the United States Following the Chinese mythology of the invisible red thread—which connects those who are destined to meet—China has been expanding its spheres of political influence What Does “The Status Quo” Mean in Tsai Ing-wen’s Double Tenth Day Speech?By Dr Ye Xue29 October 2021Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen vowed to maintain the status quo in cross-strait relations But can Taiwan really achieve its strategic goal What to Expect From Taiwan's New Elected President By Dr Hsu Chien-Jung02 April 2024Mr William Lai (Lai Ching-te) who will succeed President Tsai Ing-wen as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate for president successfully won the 2024 presidential election despite losing a significant number of young voters The DPP did not secure a majority in parliamentary seats which could have a serious impact on the future legislative agenda and national budget of the DPP government New ways of thinking should be applied to the management of roads and highways in Hualien County as its mountain slopes could remain unstable for the next seven to eight years an official from the Directorate-General of Highways said after a rockfall damaged railway tracks near Heren Tunnel in the county’s Sioulin Township (秀林) yesterday Rockfalls and landslides have affected Suhua Highway and the North-link rail line more often than normal since a large earthquake in Hualien County on April 3 struck 15km south of Hualien City and was the strongest temblor in Taiwan since 1999 A rock weighing an estimated 150 tonnes yesterday destroyed tracks near the tunnel Heavy rain caused a landslide on Monday that buried part of the Suhua Highway between Heren (和仁) and Chongde (崇德) The east railway line between the two communities has been temporarily closed with trains running in both directions on the west line There were multiple rockfalls and landslides last month including a slide that led to the derailment of a New Tze-chiang Limited Express near the Cingshuei River (清水溪) on June 21 April’s earthquake affected areas up to an altitude of 1,000m and resulted in unprecedented damage to the Suhua Highway and the Central Cross-lsland Highway with much of the region’s vegetation ruined by slope collapses and falling rocks Directorate-General of Highways official Lin Wen-hsiung (林文雄) said when it used to take 50mm to 60mm,” Lin said only 1mm of rainfall led to the June 21 derailment adding that rockfalls are occurring almost every day on slopes along the Central Cross-lsland Highway The slopes and roads in mountainous areas would “remain unstable for the following seven to eight years or even 20 years” based on Japan’s experience after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake on Jan so “we should abandon outdated ideas and consider newly developed situations to manage roads and highways,” Lin said People will have to be prepared for land collapses for years to come although senior officials say the rockfall situation might stabilize after typhoons clear unstable material rockfall barriers and fences should be added and more rock sheds should be built on the roads that pass through Taroko Gorge adding that most of the engineering projects have already been outsourced to contractors insight-led solutions in the areas of people risk and capital that make your organization more resilient bringing diverse points of view and a deep commitment to your success we achieve breakthroughs because only the best ideas survive Innovative solutions that meet your needs—informed by the global view and the local understanding of our colleagues around the world we broaden your horizon and sharpen your focus Transform your toughest challenges into actionable opportunities © Mondaq® Ltd 1994 - 2025. All Rights Reserved By using our website you agree to our use of cookies as set out in our Privacy Policy 10 (CNA) A megabat of a critically endangered species endemic to Taiwan is believed to have been killed by a predator less than one month after being released back into the wild the Hualien branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said Tuesday was likely killed by a predator on or before Dec 5 after researchers found only remains of the bat and its GPS tracker near what is believed to have been its roost based on location data collected from the tracker on Dec The two-week-old Fubao was found injured and weighing only 80 grams in Hualien City in April by a citizen who took it to the facility After being nursed back to health and growing into a 307g adult bat To trace its daily activity and chance of survival in the wild researchers monitored the bat for the first two weeks of its release and ensured it sheltered in an area with low brush cover it added that researchers observed the bat did not leave its fixed location from noon on Dec indicating it probably died on or before Dec it is believed the bat could have been killed by a day-active raptor It expressed disappointment that the rare bat failed to survive in the wild but noted that the joint efforts of various agencies to treat and care for the mammal prior to its release into the wild was an invaluable experience for those involved in looking after wild animals The branch urged members of the public to call the 1999 hotline or 0800-057930 to report any sightings of pteropus dasymallus formosus noting that taking such an endangered species home could result in a fine is home to the largest population of the bat species across Taiwan with up to 2,000 reportedly living on the island in the 1970s due to the decline in its original habitat the Taiwan Endemic Species Research Institute and the Bat Association of Taiwan conducted an investigation of pteropus dasymallus formosus on Green Island in which fewer than 10 of the bats were found to exist A study by Taipei Zoon research team from 2005-2009 estimated that only 12 pteropus dasymallus formosus were still on the island The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday unveiled a series of plans to help boost tourism in Hualien this year after severe damage to infrastructure from a magnitude 7.2 earthquake and typhoons last year The government had offered subsidies for domestic tourists to travel to Hualien and Taitung counties to help sustain the travel industry on the east coast They helped attract 2.25 million domestic travelers to the east coast generating NT$10.7 billion (US$326.41 million) Department of Aviation and Navigation Director-General Han Cheng-hua (韓振華) said that the ministry had stipulated standardized operation procedures to activate land sea and air transport to Hualien and Taitung within three hours after a natural disaster The ministry had upgraded a system for people to make reservations and expanded capacity meaning people would be able to travel to the east coast after an emergency situation more easily To attract tourists arriving on cruise ships Taiwan International Port Co repaired a pier at the Port of Hualien that was damaged by the April 3 earthquake and began using immigration facilities at Pier 14 in June adding that the facilities allowed the port to accommodate 15,000-tonne cruise ships The port company would also waive anchoring fees passenger service fees and port facility cleaning fees for cruise ships that stop at the Port of Hualien adding that subsidies would be provided for people arriving at airports to board a cruise ship A company itinerary showed that 28 cruise ships were scheduled to stop at the Port of Hualien this year which are estimated to bring 32,000 travelers between them The first cruise this year is scheduled to arrive on Jan The Civil Aviation Administration has secured NT$30.48 million to subsidize Uni Air to increase flights between Taipei and Hualien from four per week to seven per week The carrier began operating on its new schedule on Monday Hong Kong Express has been offering four round-trip flights per week between Hualien and Hong Kong with additional flights available during the Lunar New Year holiday Railway services to the east coast have fully recovered after two railway bridges were destroyed by the earthquake The bridges were rebuilt and opened for railway services last month tickets for Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Bus Service would be free for people who use EasyCard or other cards payment systems while Taiwan Tour Bus has a 90 percent discount for its tickets Hualien County would highlight astrological tours for which shuttle buses would be available Tourism Administration Director-General Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) said that April’s major earthquake caused Taiwan to lose about 520,000 international visitors last year The number of international tourists for the whole of last year was estimated to be between 7.85 million and 7.87 million The Tourism Administration has plans to expand the sources of international tourists with new tourism information centers to be established in Sydney; Mumbai is to host the World Expo from April 13 to Oct the Tourism Administration hopes that attendees who transit in Taiwan would make brief visits here Although it failed to reach the goal of 10 million international visitors last year the agency successfully attracted 1 million South Korean tourists It also made progress in drawing visitors from the Philippines A “buy one get one free” offer for international travelers accessing the high-speed rail was popular among visitors from Malaysia and Singapore “For first-time visitors to Taiwan this year we recommend tourist attractions in the northern region while second-time visitors and those who have visited multiple times are encouraged to visit attractions in southern Taiwan,” Chou said A public memorial concert is to be held at Taipei Main Station at 7pm on Wednesday to commemorate the victims of the 2021 Hualien Taroko Express train derailment an attorney representing the victims’ families said yesterday that the concert would mark the fourth anniversary of the rail accident that killed 49 people and injured 309 — the deadliest in Taiwan Railway Co’s nearly 60-year history This year’s memorial theme — “Eternal Love and Remembrance” — includes a unique light beam installation designed to symbolize hope The light beams would shine through the Heren (和仁) Cingshuei (清水) and Chongde (崇德) tunnels along the North-Link Line which connects Yilan County’s Suao Township (蘇澳) and Hualien City The 2021 crash occurred at the northern entrance to the Cingshuei Tunnel (清水隧道) 11 attacks in the US in 2001 and the Amagasaki derailment in Japan in 2005 is meant to transform families’ grief into “eternal love” and act as a reminder of railway safety Taiwan Railways official Chien Hsin-li (簡信立) said that the lights would be activated at the moment Taroko Express train 408 — the train with the same number as the one that derailed four years ago — passes through the area on Wednesday The light effects would continue for seven days as part of the memorial The light installation would not interfere with train drivers’ ability to see as it is designed to be safe for passengers and staff Taiwan Railways would distribute information cards about the memorial on all trains along the North-Link Line Judicial authorities searched eight locations in Hualien City yesterday related to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Fu Kun-chi’s business and political dealings Authorities are investigating after complaints were filed accusing Fu of illegally receiving funds from foreign sources and vote-buying during campaigning for last year’s legislative elections The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office coordinated with Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau units to search several residences and offices of Hualien-based Shan Tian Xia Integrated Marketing (戰天下整合行銷) and Shan Tian Xia Co (戰天下公司) which were responsible for promotional material and merchandise for Fu’s campaign Prosecutors questioned Lee Ching-lung (李慶隆) a housekeeper for Fu and a former executive at a real-estate company owned by Fu Lee lives in an annex of Fu’s family mansion in Hualien leading to initial erroneous reports that authorities had searched Fu’s home The complaints against Fu and the two companies were filed separately by Taipei City Councilor Chien Shu-pei (簡舒培) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and political commentator Wen Lang-tung (溫朗東) They allege that official documents were forged and that gifts valued at more than NT$30 each were given to potential voters contravening the Business Entity Accounting Act (商業會計法) the Political Donations Act (政治獻金法) and the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法) Prosecutors yesterday afternoon said that the complaints were filed last month and they launched the investigation with an initial search on Feb a second phase on Tuesday and yesterday’s third phase which targeted Shan Tian Xia Integrated Marketing and its owner were allegedly supplied by the two companies adding that funds from China went to Fu’s election campaign None of the items were declared to election authorities and the companies did not provide import documents and receipts Wen accused Fu of accounting and political donation fraud as well as secretly using Chinese finances in contravention of the Anti-Infiltration Act Fu distributed “personal grooming kits” to other KMT candidates during campaigning ahead of the legislative elections in January last year which might be the largest instance of vote-buying and political donation fraud in Taiwan’s history accusing the DPP and prosecutors of unfairly targeting him Taipei prosecutors do not have jurisdiction to conduct investigations or searches in Hualien County Mother Nature gives and Mother Nature takes away a 7.2-magnitude earthquake wrecked the county’s number-one tourist attraction two typhoons inflicted further damage and disruption the twelve months since the earthquake have been more than dismal Among those who experienced a precipitous drop in customer count are Sofia Chiu (邱心怡) and Monica Lin (林宸伶) which they describe as a space where they can share “our love for food travel and indigenous culture in Hualien.” the months immediately after the earthquake saw “a sharp decline” in visitor numbers the duo noticed “a gradual return of customers with December seeing a recovery close to pre-earthquake levels Currently our business has recovered to 70 to 80 percent of what it was before the disaster.” Chiu’s observations are in line with some of the numbers published by the Tourism Administration’s Tourism Statistics Database Hualien’s Qixingtan (七星潭) — less than 7km from Karenko Kitchen — saw a total of 89,511 visitors compared to 106,575 in the same period of 2023 But there hasn’t been much of a bounce back at Liyu Lake (鯉魚潭) To the despair of business owners who rent out bicycles and pedalos at the lake in Hualien’s Shoufeng Township (壽豐) tourist numbers in the final quarter of last year were down year-on-year by two thirds international travelers accounted for the majority of those signing up for Karenko Kitchen’s cooking classes we’ve seen an increasing number of Taiwanese both domestic and international,” Chiu says the kitchen isn’t Chiu or Lin’s only source of income This has allowed us to weather the crisis with relatively less financial strain But we’ve witnessed firsthand the struggles of many local businesses while those that remain continue to face significant challenges,” Chiu says Karenko Kitchen collaborated with the county government on various tourism initiatives “These partnerships were affected by the disaster but we’ve never relied heavily on government support so the impact on our business has been minimal,” Chiu says The pair express optimism on both the personal and regional level Chiu saying she believes that “businesses which persevere through such adversity will emerge stronger.” Expressing confidence that “the impact of the earthquake will fade from public memory and that visitors will return to Hualien,” Chiu encourages visitors to experience “what our beautiful region has to offer and to learn about its unique culture.” Jany Leijenhorst typically welcomed roughly equal numbers of tourists and locals to the Dutch pancake house that bears her name in Hualien City “For the first three months after the earthquake but I think only three tourist families came to my pancake house in that time and they were visiting relatives or they’d come here to support Hualien,” says Leijenhorst a Dutch citizen who’s lived in the east coast city since arriving in Taiwan about 13 years ago from Hualien residents I’m making around 70 percent of what I used to make but from tourists it’s a mere 30 percent or so,” she says An increase in the number of school groups who come to Leijenhorst’s pancake house to learn about the culture and cuisine of the Netherlands has gone some way to make up for the shortfall in regular patrons Originally a mechanical engineer who specialized in developing new materials Leijenhorst wasn’t able to find a job in Hualien that matched her professional background she opened the pancake house as a way to build cultural exchanges and also because it offered a route to permanent residency Leijenhorst says she’s fortunate in that her overall financial situation has allowed her to survive the downturn She’s seen a number of food and accommodation businesses close down Leijenhorst isn’t optimistic about the local tourism industry The local and national governments have been trying to show there’s more to Hualien than Taroko Gorge Leijenhorst says these efforts had a noticeable yet temporary effect and she doesn’t expect tourist numbers to return to pre-quake levels this year or next Even though parts of Taroko National Park are scheduled to reopen before the end of this year she’s resigned to it taking “maybe five to seven years before it’s back to its old beauty.” “It’s painful to think about,” she continues “I’d love to go there for hiking and mountaineering Referring to a Truku tribal village located deep inside the national park she says that she has friends from Datong (大同部落) who can’t return to their old homes as part of its efforts to revitalize the local economy the Hualien County Government began sending county residents stimulus vouchers worth NT$3,000 Leijenhorst was excluded from this program because she isn’t a citizen and she’s not married to a Taiwanese Extending the benefit to people like her wouldn’t have cost a lot “I’m still mad about this,” she adds — and it’s not the only aspect of the official response to the disaster that bothers her “There are still people whose homes haven’t been repaired and they’ve not been rehoused especially when you consider how much money is spent on non-essential road construction some customers told me they’re still living with friends because they can’t find another solution,” Leijenhorst says One reason why Karenko Kitchen and Jany’s Dutch Pancake House are still in business is that the owners of both are committed to Hualien Other enterprises were forced to shutter because of the physical consequences of last year’s natural disasters Butterfly Valley Resort in Hualien’s Ruisui Township (瑞穗) ceased operations on Feb mainly because of typhoon damage to trails and facilities inside Fuyuan National Forest Recreation Area (富源國家森林遊樂區) According to a statement on the Web site of the Hualien Branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency since the agency signed a contract with the resort’s operators in 2004 the latter has paid the former NT$54.94 million in royalties Sixty jobs for locals were created and at least NT$4 million per year was contributed to welfare projects in the area Predicting that repairs will take two to three years the agency’s statement says it plans to invest in the restoration and development of the forest recreation area after which it’ll identify “the most suitable business model [for] a high-quality scenic spot with both ecological conservation and forest recreation functions.” the going was far from easy well before the quake 11 last year by the Chinese-language United Daily News since the lifting of pandemic-related travel restrictions Taiwanese have preferred overseas trips to taking vacations closer to home and that Taiwan “hasn’t been the first choice” for foreigners The April 3 earthquake and Typhoon Gaemi (which made landfall on July 24 and severely disrupted travel between Hualien and Taipei) “rubbed salt into the tourism industry’s wounds.” was a landlord who insisted on increasing the rent during contract renewal The uptick in tourism that some saw in late last year wasn’t enough for the operators to review their decision so — as originally scheduled — The Leaf Inn closed for good on Feb Hualien County Council Speaker Chang Chun (張峻) on Wednesday declared his support for ousting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) a move seen as splitting pan-blue supporters and adding momentum to a recall campaign A former head of the KMT’s Hualien chapter Chang placed a front-page advertisement in the county’s main newspaper that day with the slogan: “Replace Fu Kun-chi” (換掉傅?萁) Beneath the headline were three pointed subheadings — “Oppose sexual harassment,” “Oppose fraud and oppression,” and “Oppose special privileges” — accusations that have hounded Fu for years Fu was head of the Hualien County Government and then he and his wife alternated in power The most prominent construction project in Hualien today is Fu’s own private mansion,” Chang told reporters and party leaders have told me that Fu is like a virus — a poisonous presence If the KMT wants to reclaim its former stature [in Hualien] Chang said he had received calls from leaders at KMT headquarters who want to see Fu ousted through a recall Chang served two terms (2014 to 2022) as a KMT county councilor and was backed by the party during his election as deputy speaker from 2014 to 2018 He also headed the KMT’s Hualien County chapter from 2019 to 2021 the KMT revoked Chang’s party membership after he announced his intention to run for Hualien County Council speaker the KMT cited court documents showing that Chang had served time in prison in the early 2000s for gang-related offenses and was investigated for corruption in 2011 when he was first elected as an independent councilor Hualien County Councilor Hu Jen-shun (胡仁順) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said DPP councilors said that Chang is still a significant figure within Hualien’s pan-blue camp and maintains close ties with several KMT politicians it is well-known that Chang leads the county’s anti-Fu faction with the local pan-blue camp divided into three camps — those aligned with Fu Chang and former Hualien City mayor Wei Chia-hsien (魏嘉賢) who is preparing to run for county commissioner in the next election Chang said he would rally other KMT politicians in the coming days to join efforts to remove Fu adding that they would support civic groups in expanding their recall petition campaign to reach the 10 percent voter signature threshold required to advance past the second stage Colorful lanterns depicting flowers in bloom are displayed during the 2025 Hualien Pacific Ocean Lantern Festival in this recent photo The event this year is being held in Hualien City's Chongqing Market and Sunrise Avenue from Jan Photo courtesy of the Hualien County government Feb Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Print A magnitude 7.5 earthquake was reported Tuesday afternoon at 4:58 p.m according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Tsunami Warning System the epicenter was farther than 100 miles from a city there have been no earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby The earthquake occurred at a depth of 7.1 miles. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS This story was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published. If you’re interested in learning more about the system, visit our list of frequently asked questions. California World & Nation Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map Helicopter evacuates people from recreational area in Hualien after quake Demolition work is underway at a building collapsed by a powerful earthquake in Hualien City Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 years struck Wednesday morning off its east coast Heavy equipment begins demolition of a collapsed building two days after a powerful earthquake struck the city People leave a helicopter after being rescued from an isolated area following a powerful earthquake in Hualien City 2024 and released by Pingtung Fire Department firefighters evacuate a body from the Taroko National Park a day after a powerful earthquake struck Rescuers are searching for people out of contact a day after Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in a quarter century damaged buildings Rocks are on the road at the entrance of Taroko National Park in Hualien County The strongest earthquake in a quarter-century has rocked Taiwan during the morning rush hour Rescuers searched Thursday for missing people and worked to reach hundreds stranded when Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 years sent boulders and mud tumbling down mountainsides Workers set up offerings before the demolition ceremony in front of the building seen partially collapsed offer prayers during the demolition ceremony for the partially collapsed building Workers begin demolition of collapsed building Taiwan (AP) — The demolition of a building that is leaning precariously after an earthquake in Taiwan was halted on Saturday because of aftershocks that made it lean even more The death toll rose to 13 after a third victim was found on the park’s Shakadang Trail More than 400 people remained stranded three days after the quake in locations cut off by damage Hundreds of aftershocks have struck the area since the Wednesday morning quake off Taiwan’s east coast including a magnitude-5.2 earthquake shortly before noon on Saturday a city official said that experts would discuss how to proceed with the demolition of the leaning building Offerings were made at a ceremony before the demolition began the previous day '+n.escapeExpression("function"==typeof(o=null!=(o=r(e,"eyebrowText")||(null!=l?r(l,"eyebrowText"):l))?o:n.hooks.helperMissing)?o.call(null!=l?l:n.nullContext||{},{name:"eyebrowText",hash:{},data:t,loc:{start:{line:28,column:63},end:{line:28,column:78}}}):o)+" \n '+(null!=(o=c(e,"if").call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2PreText"):l,{name:"if",hash:{},fn:n.program(32,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:63,column:20},end:{line:63,column:61}}}))?o:"")+"\n"+(null!=(o=(c(e,"ifAll")||l&&c(l,"ifAll")||n.hooks.helperMissing).call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Text"):l,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Link"):l,{name:"ifAll",hash:{},fn:n.program(34,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:64,column:20},end:{line:70,column:30}}}))?o:"")+" A cluster of earthquakes shook Taiwan early Tuesday There were no deaths reported in the quakes although there was further damage to two multi-story buildings that had been evacuated after a magnitude 7.4 quake that hit the island earlier this month Taiwan are cordoned off after a cluster of earthquakes struck the island early Tuesday There were no reports of casualties in the quakes although there were further damages to two multi-story buildings that had been evacuated following a magnitude 7.4 quake that hit the island earlier this month Taiwan (AP) — A cluster of earthquakes struck the island republic of Taiwan early Tuesday It was the strongest earthquake in the past 25 years in Taiwan and was followed by hundreds of aftershocks The quakes Tuesday’s are considered the latest of those Tuesday’s quake of 6.1 magnitude had its epicenter 28 kilometers (17.5 miles) south of the city of Hualien The half-dozen other quakes ranged from magnitude 4.5 to magnitude 6 Taiwan’s own earthquake monitoring center put the magnitudes of the initial quake at 6.3 Such small discrepancies are common between monitoring stations The largest among them were two earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 and 6.3 that occurred at 2:26 a.m Numerous of the scores of aftershocks could be felt on the upper floors of a apartment buildings in the capital Taipei about 150 kilometers (93 miles) across steep mountains to the northwest The Full Hotel in downtown Hualien partially collapsed during the quakes and was left leaning at a severe angle it had been undergoing renovations and was unoccupied at the time The nearby Tong Shuai Building was also empty having been marked for demolition after being heavily damaged in the April 3 quake Schools and offices in Hualien and the surrounding county were ordered closed on Tuesday as hundreds of aftershocks continued to strike on land and just off the coast in the Pacific Ocean Authorities advised anyone whose home had been damaged in the last quake to move out until the aftershocks subsided Rock slides closed a section of road in the rugged Taroko Gorge where several hikers lost their lives in the April 3 quake Although train service from Taipei to Hualien was suspended the disruption to traffic was minimal and the road Cracks opened on some walkways and bridges and some tiles fell from exterior walls Taiwan is no stranger to powerful earthquakes yet their toll on the high-tech island’s 23 million residents has been relatively contained thanks to its excellent earthquake preparedness The island also has strict construction standards and widespread public education campaigns about earthquakes a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Taiwan killed 2,400 people Taiwan lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” the line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean from South America to Japan along with most of the world’s earthquakes occur often with their epicenters in the Pacific where they are often referred to as “the movement of the earth cattle.” Taiwan’s Cabinet has set aside more than $20 billion Taiwan Dollars ($614.9 million) for relief and reconstruction following the April 3 quake Hualien: A red building is partially collapsed after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocked the entire island on April 3 Taiwan has been hit by the strongest earthquake in a quarter of a century at least 9 people are dead and hundreds are injured after a strong magnitude 7.4 earthquake hit the east coast during morning rush hour More than 100 strong aftershocks have occurred Officials say dozens were trapped and many buildings were damaged especially in the city of Hualien where a 10-story building partially collapsed and leaning Taiwan is in the so called ring of fire of seismic activity New Taipei City: A vehicle in a collapsed road following an earthquake Hualien: Rescue workers searching for survivors at the damaged Uranus Building in Hualien after a major earthquake hit Taiwan's east People evacuated from their homes sit outside the shelter after the main earthquake in Hualien City Soldiers stand near the site where a building collapsed Residents of tourist city near epicentre of 7.2-magnitude Taiwan earthquake face destruction and despair Lying in his bed, Liao Xiu Bo wondered if he was about to die. As a powerful earthquake rocked the ground beneath him “Am I going to be crushed?” he asked himself before gathering the courage to run down the stairs he could see that the wall surrounding his house had collapsed “That’s when I realised how extreme the earthquake was.” 0:56Buildings collapse, people rescued as powerful earthquake rocks Taiwan – videoLiao’s house in Hualien, a popular tourist city on the east coast of Taiwan, was just a few miles from the epicentre of the 7.2-magnitude quake that struck on Wednesday morning The quake has left more than 1,000 people injured and at least 10 dead rescuers were still looking for 18 people missing earthquakes are a part of everyday life,” Liao said “But this earthquake was different from the others.” And worse was to come Liao Xiu Bo outside his house in Hualien. Photograph: Jan Camenzind Broomby/The GuardianAs Liao assessed the damage to his home on Wednesday morning, he saw on the news that the Uranus building, only a few blocks away, had partly collapsed. Read moreHis thoughts immediately went to his friend and longtime customer at his bar who lived in the building “I started calling her but I couldn’t get through I recorded a short voice memo and said: ‘I saw the news Having initially escaped the crumbling building She was such a bright and kind-hearted person In the east of the city, next to a normally bustling night market, the 10-storey Uranus is slumped at an awkward angle after its lower floors collapsed during the quake. The building, now being prepared for demolition, has come to represent the damage wreaked by the largest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years The Uranus building in central Hualien Photograph: Jan Camenzind Broomby/The GuardianIt is among the 176 buildings across Hualien that have been damaged or destroyed because of the quake which has also left about 337 households without electricity and 3,750 without water was on the eighth floor of her hotel with her husband and two young daughters “The pipes had burst and water was pouring in Things were falling off the wall and the whole building was shaking violently,” she said “One of the workers in the hotel grabbed my daughter while I tried to get the door open and then my husband ran over to get our other daughter We ran out; we didn’t even think about putting our shoes on.” A damaged shop in Hualien Photograph: Carlos García Rawlins/ReutersThey made their way to the train station but struggled to find a route out of the city as well as the train lines linking to neighbouring cities they found themselves among the 213 displaced people scattered across makeshift rescue centres in schools and other municipal buildings 1:15Moment earthquake strikes captured on cameras across Taiwan – videoTending to her 94-year-old husband said she left behind all her belongings when she came to the rescue centre in Zhonghua elementary school “I only brought my husband’s necessities and medicines with us because he has cancer,” she said of her spouse With the number of aftershocks exceeding 300 the number of people seeking shelter could increase over the coming days “I can feel the earthquake in me as if it’s still happening I feel dizzy and everything is still moving,” Song said As residents in Hualien slowly return to life as normal emergency services are working to rescue dozens of people who remain trapped in the mountains in nearby Taroko national park “Hualien is a beautiful mountain and water environment,” said Jaw-Yeuan Wu the chief of the Hualien County fire department “But all these environments have a problem in common – they are particularly prone to rockslides “Because the places where people have become stranded are all relatively remote they are not easily reached by first responders or communication equipment.” With regular aftershocks shaking Hualien and bad weather setting in the risk of landslides leaves rescuers racing against time “If we don’t get the trapped people out fast enough the first time they could be injured a second or third time when the aftershocks take place,” the fire chief said To promote smart city sustainable development and regional prosperity Taichung City Government's Bureau of Digital Development Director Gu-Long Lin led a delegation to visit Hualien yesterday (5th) engaging in in-depth exchanges and discussions with Hualien County Government's Administration and Research & Evaluation Department and Environmental Protection Bureau This exchange focused on innovative applications including "Net-Zero Hualien APP," "Hualien County Government Data Center," "Taichung Pass TCPASS," and "Taichung Net-Zero Life Digital Points Platform," hoping to deepen cooperation opportunities in smart governance and net-zero transformation through shared experiences Digital Bureau Director Gu-Long Lin noted that technology and data utilization have become key drivers facing global climate change and urban governance challenges Hualien County Government has accumulated valuable experience in sustainable governance and actively promotes innovative measures encouraging public participation in net-zero carbon reduction Taichung City's smart city development strategy prioritizes digital and net-zero transformations providing numerous convenient digital services through the digital citizen platform "Taichung Pass TCPass," enabling citizens to access government services and participate in major Taichung events via the APP led by Environmental Protection Bureau Director Ching-Long Rao and newly appointed Administration and Research & Evaluation Department Director Chien-Tsun Chen Director Rao explained that the Hualien County Government developed the "Net-Zero Hualien APP" with an interactive design to encourage residents to accumulate carbon assets through daily behaviors such as using public transportation and accumulating net-zero points exchangeable for local benefits successfully promoting resident participation and community cohesion The Digital Bureau stated that this in-depth exchange with the Hualien County Government has generated more innovative ideas for data application and low-carbon transformation they will evaluate incorporating Hualien's excellent experiences continue optimizing the "Taichung Pass APP," and expand the net-zero points platform's carbon reduction savings account function to facilitate subsequent reward mechanisms encouraging citizens to participate in various carbon reduction activities Taichung City and Hualien County will continue to work together to create sustainable smart cities At least nine killed and hundreds injured after 7.2-magnitude quake struck south-east of city on Wednesday morning In the first moments after the huge quake hit she headed outdoors to seek safety from falling objects Hsu lives in Hualien, a busy tourist city on Taiwan’s east coast, where the 7.2-magnitude quake struck on Wednesday morning with 800 injured and hundreds trapped under rubble Three people among a group of seven on an early-morning hike through the hills that surround the city were crushed to death by boulders loosened by the earthquake a truck driver died when his vehicle was hit by a landslide as it approached a tunnel in the area Hualien’s people are no stranger to deadly earthquakes 1:15Moment earthquake strikes captured on cameras across Taiwan – videoWhile her panic-stricken neighbours wondered what to do next they learned that the basement of their building was starting to flood As Hsu and her family drove in search of an open space for refuge the city’s streets became clogged with traffic and emergency vehicles She could hear the earth rumble as the aftershocks hit Wednesday’s earthquake, which hit south-east of Hualien, is the strongest in Taiwan in almost 25 years and for intensity almost matches the “921” earthquake named after the date it took place on 21 September 1999 Hualien’s people have faced many serious earthquakes in recent years a 6.9-magnitude quake with its epicentre near the city toppled buildings and derailed a train killing one person and cutting off power for thousands of residents Yashwanth Kuthati said he had just dropped his children at school and was driving away on his moped through Hualien’s Wednesday morning rush-hour traffic when the quake hit he felt as if the air had been let out of his moped’s tyres there was chaos as drivers around him slammed the brakes “We can see people screaming and the tremors have kept coming every few minutes adding it was the biggest earthquake he had witnessed in 12 years living in Taiwan “I don’t think I can sleep inside the house tonight,” he added A collapsed building in Hualien. Photograph: CNA/AFP/Getty ImagesLai Hung-shu, a hostel owner in Hualien county, said she was used to earthquakes, but this one was different. “When the earthquake first started, we weren’t really exceptionally nervous, we get earthquakes all the time, but the thing that was different about this earthquake was the shaking felt much more violent and went on far longer than they typically do.” Her hostel is in the mountains, and when the quake began she could hear the sound of rockfall coming down the mountain. Aftershocks continued all day, she said. She worried about the long-term effect on the tourist industry. “The primary reason that we have visitors to our hostel is to see the beauty of Taroko national park, we won’t know how long it will take for repairs to be made or for guests to think about returning here. “The road connecting Hualien with the north has been completely destroyed … this is the most serious damage to infrastructure we have ever seen.” Buildings collapsed in Hualien, and one residential block was left listing at a 45-degree angle, as rescue workers used a cherry picker to free residents from the upper storeys. 0:27Building collapses on busy street as powerful quake hits Taiwan – videoIn central Taipei, light damage was visible on some buildings on Wednesday morning, including at Liberty Square, one of the city’s most prominent tourist landmarks. Outside the Howard Plaza hotel, passersby gazed up at the damage to the hotel’s exterior, where the earthquake had cracked its brickwork and dislodged some lettering on the hotel’s sign. Read more“I’ve never felt this kind of earthquake in LA, even though we have earthquakes pretty often,” said Mike Hung Hsu, a hotel guest visiting from the US who was woken by the temblor. “I used to live in Taiwan; in my memory we never had an earthquake like this one.” He said his family had cancelled a planned sightseeing trip to Yilan county, near Hualien on the island’s east coast, as there was no way to travel by public transport. Aftershocks from the Hualien quake continued for hours after the initial temblor, and tremors were reportedly felt as far away as Hong Kong, Fujian and Shanghai. Kuthati, who rents scooters to tourists in Hualien and operates a guest hostel with his wife, expects a big impact on his income from lost tourist business, with many of the main roads into the city blocked and rail lines out of service. Taiwan is about to observe a four-day weekend for the Tomb Sweeping festival, when families traditionally pay their respects to their ancestors or travel to the island’s many nature spots. Hualien usually draws large numbers of backpackers, hikers and cyclists seeking the stunning natural beauty of the surrounding landscape, including the nearby Taroko national park. But with landslides in the vicinity, many will probably stay home for the next few days. or the second-highest level of intensity on a scale ranging from 1 to 7.Such quakes collapse walls unless they are made of reinforced concrete blocks while people cannot stand upright and must crawl in order to move experts say.Shaking from an earthquake near Taiwan’s eastern shore was felt across the island nation and parts of mainland China and Japan on Wednesday morning The Wednesday quake was the strongest to hit the island nation in about 25 years.Reporting by Yimou Lee and Fabian Hamacher Shanghai and Hong Kong newsrooms; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Clarence Fernandez Yimou Lee is a Senior Correspondent for Reuters covering everything from Taiwan, including sensitive Taiwan-China relations, China's military aggression and Taiwan's key role as a global semiconductor powerhouse. A three-time SOPA award winner, his reporting from Hong Kong, China, Myanmar and Taiwan over the past decade includes Myanmar's crackdown on Rohingya Muslims, Hong Kong protests and Taiwan's battle against China's multifront campaigns to absorb the island. 1231TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – On the evening of Saturday (July 27) as lighting storms rolled across Taiwan’s eastern seaboard a photographer in Hualien was anxiously watching the skies to capture the spectacular moment Photographer Zi Yao Chen captured this brilliant image of lightning flashing over Hualien City taken shortly after 8:30 p.m. The photographer remarked on his Facebook page that waiting for the lighting strikes filled him with a sense of excitement and fascination. In the photo, the lightning bolt casts a beautiful violet hue across the sky, with Hualien City visible just over the horizon. The Pacific Ocean is also just barely visible on the leftmost side of the image, and the small vendors' tents in the foreground provide a clear sense of depth and a touch of Taiwanese flavor to the image overall. In the image from the Central Weather Bureau below, one can view the weather patterns and pockets of storms on Taiwan’s coasts Saturday night as the photo was taken. Temperatures in north Taiwan to drop by 10 C on May Day Tilting buildings demolished in Taiwan quake aftermath Taipei MRT reminds passengers of drinking water ban Taiwan dollar hits NT$29 per US dollar triggering currency exchange rush Central Bank steps in as Taiwan dollar posts strong single-day gain Vietjet flight makes unscheduled landing in Taiwan Taiwan ranked 2nd most innovative country in world Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes off east Taiwan US tech earnings spark Taiwan stock market rally Four Vietnamese residents found dead in northern Taiwan US Congress members urge Somalia to reverse Taiwan passport ban Taiwan ranks 1st in Asia on World Press Freedom Index Officials have confirmed at least nine people have died and over 800 are injured while rescuers are searching for more than 100 trapped Five of the dead - including three hikers on a trail - died from falling rocks The epicentre is located about 18km (11 miles) south of Taiwan's Hualien city mountainous region of Hualien was rocked by huge landslides causing damage which could take weeks to repair Tremors were felt as far as the capital Taipei with videos showing buildings shaking violently The quake initially set off tsunami warnings on the island and neighbouring countries Rupert Wingfield-HayesReporting from Taiwan Vew of a landslide after an earthquake hit just off the eastern coast of Taiwan These people are trapped in tunnels along what is called the Suhua Highway - which runs down the east coast and is one of the most dramatic and treacherous roads in Taiwan It is famous for both its beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean and its danger – not least because of its landslides This road was cut through the mountainside and was blasted through using literally dynamite and manual labour mostly military labour to make that highway through from Yilan to Hualian in the 1930s there was no road around the north coast of Taiwan to Hualian This 50km (30 miles) stretch of road with a number of tunnels in it And it is in two of those tunnels we understand that these tourists are trapped whether they're able to contact the outside world or not We also don't know how bad the blockages are and how long it is going to take for rescue teams to get through to them it is a sort of nightmare scenario being on a bus in a tunnel on a very treacherous piece of road where on one side is a mountain and on the other side is a sheer plunge into the ocean Rescue teams are working to get to them tonight We understand the railway along the east coast of Taiwan is damaged is being repaired and they are hoping to get that railway through to Hualian and open by lunchtime tomorrow Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWhat's happened so far?published at 12:30 British Summer Time 3 April 202412:30 BST 3 April 2024It's 19:30 in Hualien City and 12:30 BST in London We're pausing our live coverage shortly so here's a recap of everything that's happened so far today: Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingLatest images show rescue teams searching rubble for trapped victimspublished at 12:26 British Summer Time 3 April 202412:26 BST 3 April 2024As we have been reporting at least nine people have been killed and more than 800 injured in the powerful earthquake which struck Taiwan this morning Rescue teams across Taiwan are trying to reach dozens of people trapped in buildings and tunnels We have just received some of the latest images from the scene which show the rescue effort Kaohsiung Fire Department staff search inside a building after the powerful earthquake struck off Taiwan's eastern coast Dozens of people are known to have been trapped by falling rubble Taiwan's strongest earthquake in 25 years rocked the island during the morning rush on Wednesday Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWatch: Moment magnitude 7.4 earthquake hits Taiwanpublished at 12:09 British Summer Time 3 April 202412:09 BST 3 April 2024Below you can watch footage from inside buildings and across Taiwan as the earthquake struck Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingHow big was Taiwan's earthquake?published at 11:43 British Summer Time 3 April 202411:43 BST 3 April 2024Some of you may have noticed difference in reporting of the exact power the initial earthquake off Taiwan's east coast which are measured out of 10 on what are known as seismic magnitude scales This discrepancy is because there are differing methods of calculating an earthquake's power and three different figures for this particular incident have been given by major global agencies The BBC is reporting it as reaching a magnitude of 7.4 which is the calculation given by the United States Geological Survey Taiwanese authorities say it was a 7.2 magnitude quake while Japan's method of calculating intensity came out at 7.7 Anything above 7 is considered a major earthquake One thing to note is these measures are often incorrectly described as being on the "Richter Scale" - an earlier method of describing the size of earthquakes that has since largely been updated and replaced by scientists Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingIn pictures: Damage to infrastructure caused by earthquakepublished at 11:28 British Summer Time 3 April 202411:28 BST 3 April 2024The earthquake has left destruction in its wake damaging buildings and infrastructure across the Hualien region on the east coast of Taiwan Below are some pictures of the damage caused by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake A landslide approaches a bridge near Xiulin A vehicle in a collapsed road in New Taipei City Key infrastructure like the Taipei Metro (pictured) has been damaged Debris falls from a building in New Taipei City Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingI was making coffee then clinging to my bookcase - witnesspublished at 11:22 British Summer Time 3 April 202411:22 BST 3 April 2024Film maker when the earthquake struck on the island's east coast Pham explained she was making coffee when everything started to shake and rattle around her "I was holding onto my bookcase trying to steady myself because everything else was falling out - the bookcase's books and my glassware and plates etc and I could hear people screaming "They were also frantically looking for information and trying to decide what to do really scary for about five to ten minutes Actually for me it lasted much longer because inside my head was like - what to do when everything calmed down and I went outside and I saw that the damage was actually not as bad as expected." Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingEyewitness: 'The office started to shake really really hard'published at 11:08 British Summer Time 3 April 202411:08 BST 3 April 2024Image caption Antoine Rousseaux was at work in an office tower in Taipei when the quake hit witnessed the first waves of the earthquake in the centre of Taipei this morning He was at work on the 9th floor of an office building when it "started to shake really "It’s not my first earthquake in Taiwan but I’ve never had it done that hard and then I heard things falling down so I didn’t know what to do 'should I run down the stairs?' "And then I decided to just go under the table and sit down under the table but the Taiwanese were just standing up and we could see things falling down “We are still in a bit of a shocked state because when it happened it was a really strong one so even the Taiwanese were really scared.. I could see they were not used to one with this strength." He says he and his colleagues then continued to experience aftershocks every 30 minutes Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWatch: Hundreds of landslides in rugged east of Taiwanpublished at 10:50 British Summer Time 3 April 202410:50 BST 3 April 2024Our Asia correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes has sent us this report on the earthquake's impact on the capital Taipei as well as the hundreds of massive landslides it has caused in the rugged east of the island: Watch: Hundreds of landslides unleashed by 'intense' quake Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingTsunami warnings lifted by Japan and Philippinespublished at 10:42 British Summer Time 3 April 202410:42 BST 3 April 2024Image source Kindergarten children evacuate to a park on higher ground after receiving a tsunami warning in Naha In the initial aftermath of the earthquake Japanese authorities issued a tsunami advisory for the island chain of Okinawa as well as ordering people in southwestern Japan to move away from the coast This tsunami warning was lifted shortly afterwards by the Japanese Meteorological Agency Officials are continuing to urge people to remain cautious as the tide level could change but waves never reached the 3m (9.8ft) height initially expected in some areas also declared and then subsequently lifted a tsunami alert for its northern coastline Filipino officials say they had cancelled the warning after there were "no significant sea level disturbances" for several hours following the huge quake Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingMore than 120 trapped nearly 80 in tunnelspublished at 10:30 British Summer Time 3 April 202410:30 BST 3 April 2024BreakingTaiwanese authorities have now confirmed that overall 127 are known to be trapped as a result of the Earthquake 77 of them are trapped inside the Jinwen and Qingshui tunnels under mountains in Hualien county two German citizens are trapped in the Chongde tunnel in Taroko National Park The remaining 50 people are trapped in four minibuses that were travelling from central Hualien City to nearby Taroko national park They are all staff being transported to the Silks Place Taroko hotel ahead of a four-day long weekend from Thursday to Sunday for two local public holidays Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingTwo German citizens among trapped in tunnelpublished at 10:26 British Summer Time 3 April 202410:26 BST 3 April 2024Let's bring you some news coming out of Europe where officials say two German citizens are trapped in the Chongde Tunnel authorities initially did not provide any information about the condition of the two the national park is located north of the city of Hualien where the earthquake has caused severe damage Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingFactory collapses in New Taipei Citypublished at 10:17 British Summer Time 3 April 202410:17 BST 3 April 2024In New Taipei City a factory building has collapsed Hou Yu-ih says: "There were 57 people inside "The last one was rescued at around 11:57 (03:57BST) The rest of the people in the factory are unharmed." Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWhen our rescue team moves the building becomes unstable - fire officialpublished at 10:00 British Summer Time 3 April 202410:00 BST 3 April 2024Image source Many buildings are leaning in Hualien after the region was hit by a 7.4 earthquake Some buildings in Hualien City are leaning dangerously An official from the local fire department says rescuers are facing extreme difficulties the building becomes unstable and they have to find something to hold on to ensure their safety before pulling people out." Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingDeath toll rises to nine - governmentpublished at 09:46 British Summer Time 3 April 202409:46 BST 3 April 2024BreakingThe Taiwanese government has given a fresh update to say nine people are now known to have died from the earthquake Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingLeaning buildings and collapsed tunnel road in Hualienpublished at 09:29 British Summer Time 3 April 202409:29 BST 3 April 2024We've put together these graphics to show the impact that the earthquake had on some buildings in Hualien city One has entirely collapsed and dozens more have sustained major structural damage Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWe are ready to work together - Taiwan's president vowspublished at 09:17 British Summer Time 3 April 202409:17 BST 3 April 2024Image source Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (right) at a media briefing Taiwan's President has given an update at a news briefing in New Tapei City "At this time when there are frequent aftershocks the government must ensure the accuracy of information and provide timely assistance to people in need so that people can feel at ease and safe," Tsai Ing-wen said "We are ready to work together." Her comments come as the rescue efforts continue Some buildings in Hualien City are leaning dangerously and train lines have also been ruptured Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingWhat happened in Taipei this morningpublished at 09:02 British Summer Time 3 April 202409:02 BST 3 April 2024Rupert Wingfield-HayesAsia correspondent in Taipei The shaking was strong in the capital Taipei where I am and this is more than 100km (62 miles) from the epicentre in Hualien on Taiwan's east coast much stronger shaking there - people would have been really terrified by it Fortunately a lot of people were out on the streets so most people were on their way to work or taking their kids to school We have seen pictures from Hualien of people videoing their morning commute watching one building as it started to topple There has obviously been a lot of damage but thankfully few reports of loss of life or very serious injuries Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingThree hikers and two drivers killed by falling rockspublished at 08:51 British Summer Time 3 April 202408:51 BST 3 April 2024BreakingMore from the Central Emergency Operation Centre press conference where we've got some details on the people who have died in Hualien county The officials say three hikers were killed by falling rocks on the Dekalun trail while a truck driver and another person in a private car died from falling debris at the Huide tunnel One person died at a quarry for Taiwan's national cement company while a construction worker was killed on a nearby highway Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingThe ground floor was gone - witnesspublished at 08:46 British Summer Time 3 April 202408:46 BST 3 April 2024Image source Chiu-yueh HsuChiu-yueh Hsu is an office worker at a restaurant and arrived at her desk to start her day when the earthquake hit then tried to walk outside," the 50-year-old told the BBC "But it was so shaky that I could barely walk I felt my legs were not in my control anymore and could not walk out they dragged me so we could get out." Hsu described a deluge of dust and as she and her colleagues tried to get away from the building they realised another building in front of them had partially collapsed "The ground floor was gone," she adds "I could see people on higher floors in that building were trying to reach the windows I don’t know if they have been rescued yet." when a section of brick wall collapsed in Hualien City earlier this evening landing on a car stopped at an intersection Video footage of the incident showed a sheet-metal structure on the roof of a six-storey building being blown away by strong winds before a section of brick wall fell onto the road below The slab landed on the rear section of a small white sedan that had just come to a stop at the intersection Hualien City, #TyphoonGaemi this evening. pic.twitter.com/iRIe5BjhTB Hualien City Fire Department received reports of the accident on the corner of Zhongmei 10th Street and Zhongxing Road at around 5:30 pm Paramedics responding found a 45-year-old woman and a 7-year-old boy unconscious in the vehicle but Gao was declared dead at around 7:00 pm Winds generated by the approach of Typhoon Gaemi were blowing at an estimated 43 meters per second at the time of the accident Hualien County Fire Department urged people not to go out unless necessary during the typhoon in order to avoid danger Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. this site is affected by big-tech/social media censorship Get Instant notification of latest news by email Taiwan English News is published by Phillip Charlier who is based in New Taipei City, Taiwan. If you have news tips or issues you want covered: Let me know Rescuers searched for missing people and worked to reach hundreds stranded on Thursday after Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 years sent boulders and mud tumbling down mountainsides The demolition process of a building in Hualien that was tilted when the earthquake hit Taiwan started on Friday The 10-story structure called the Uranus Building was thrown dramatically off-kilter by the quake and appeared to be on the verge of collapse A government officer sits in front of a store closed due to the earthquake Two bodies have been found in the Taroko National Park a tourist attraction famous for its rugged mountainous terrain in Hualien County about 150 kilometers (90 miles) from Taipei At least four other victims were found in the park Authorities have yet to verify the identities of the latest victims had gone on a hike after visiting ancestral sites for the traditional grave-sweeping observances Wednesday’s 7.4-magnitude quake sent boulders and mud tumbling down mountainsides crews were working to demolish the five-story Tien Wang Hsing building one of scores of buildings damaged around the island Residents wearing motorcycle and construction helmets recovered legal documents and other documents before large cement-penetrating drills and backhoes began bringing down the building A high school teacher was killed in the building when she returned to her apartment to find her cat just as an aftershock struck Others were still stuck in areas cut off by road blockages including one Canadian and two persons with joint Australian and Singapore citizenship Authorities were using cell phone signals to ascertain their positions Hualien will face a major challenge to rebuild and bring back tourism rebuilding and reconstruction will be an extremely heavy burden especially for those who still need to make their monthly mortgage payments That’s why people’s paths to rebuilding their lives will rely on help from charitable donations,” Hsu told reporters The small number of casualties and rapid response has been attributed to tightened construction safety standards and the replacement of older buildings with modern structures built to resist earthquakes Emergency services have upgraded their equipment and training assisted by civic groups such as the Red Cross and the Buddhist Tzu Chi charitable foundation that have provided meals and set up shelters in school gymnasiums and other public spaces for those left homeless Emergency services on Wednesday continued rescue operations at the scene of a partially collapsed building at the epicentre of Taiwan’s earthquake zone in Hualien City Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in nearly 25 years has so far caused the deaths of at least nine people where some buildings leaned at severe angles Wednesday’s quake killed at least nine people stranded dozens of workers at quarries and sent some residents scrambling out the windows of damaged buildings Taiwan’s Vice-President viewed the damage caused by the earthquake in Hualien City on Wednesday which killed at least nine people and injured hundreds A man looks at the cordoned off site of a leaning building in the aftermath of an earthquake in Hualien Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in a quarter century rocked the island during the morning rush hour Wednesday damaging buildings and highways (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) A rescue worker stands near the cordoned off site of a leaning building in the aftermath of an earthquake in Hualien People evacuated from their homes are accommodated in the tent area of the shelter after the main earthquake in Hualien City Firefighters complete their mission and evacuate from the collapsed building during a rescue operation following an earthquake in Hualien City Rescue workers stand near the site of a leaning building in the aftermath of an earthquake in Hualien damaging buildings and highways (AP Photo/Johnson Lai) In this photo released by the Taiwan Air Force Command members of a search and rescue team prepare to deploy on a Taiwan Air Force C-130 from southern Taiwan’s Pingtung military air base en route for Hualien on Wednesday In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office Taiwan’s President Elect and Vice President Lai Ching-te visits the site of a building partially collapsed after an earthquake in Hualien in eastern Taiwan on Wednesday In this photo released by the National Fire Agency members of a search and rescue team prepare outside a leaning building in the aftermath of an earthquake in Hualien Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in a quarter century rocked the island during the morning rush Wednesday damaging buildings and creating a tsunami that washed ashore on southern Japanese islands In this image taken from a video footage run by TVBS residents rescue a child from a partially collapsed building in Hualien A powerful earthquake rocked the entire island of Taiwan early Wednesday collapsing buildings in a southern city and creating a tsunami that washed ashore on southern Japanese islands People evacuate to higher ground after a tsunami warning following a powerful earthquake in Naha collapsing buildings in a southern city and creating a tsunami that washed ashore on southern Japanese islands.(Kyodo News via AP) a man checks a partially collapsed building in Hualien collapsing buildings in a southern city and creating a tsunami that washed ashore on southern Japanese islands.(TVBS via AP) Here is a closer look at Taiwan’s history of earthquakes: Taiwan lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” the line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur The area is particularly vulnerable to temblors due to the tension accumulated from the interactions of two tectonic plates the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate which may lead to sudden releases in the form of earthquakes The region’s mountainous landscape can magnify the ground shaking Several such landslides occurred on Taiwan’s eastern coast near the epicenter of Wednesday’s quake near eastern Hualien County when falling debris hit tunnels and highways crushing vehicles and causing several deaths according to Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency It damaged several buildings in Hualien but caused only minor losses in the capital Taipei despite being strongly felt there The earthquake hit in the middle of the morning rush hour yet only slightly derailed the regular commute parents were again walking their children to school and workers driving to offices “Taiwan’s earthquake preparedness is among the most advanced in the world,” said Stephen Gao a seismologist and professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology “The island has implemented strict building codes and widespread public education campaigns on earthquake safety.” a partially collapsed building is seen in Hualien The government continually revises the level of quake resistance required of new and existing buildings — which may increase construction costs — and offers subsidies to residents willing to check their buildings’ quake resistance five people involved in the construction of a 17-story high-rise apartment building that was the only major structure to have collapsed were found guilty of negligence and given prison sentences Taiwan also is pushing quake drills at schools and workplaces while public media and cellphones regularly carry notices about earthquakes and safety “These measures have significantly enhanced Taiwan’s resilience to earthquakes helping to mitigate the potential for catastrophic damage and loss of life,” Gao said Taiwan and its surrounding waters have registered about 2,000 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.0 or greater since 1980 and more than 100 earthquakes with a magnitude above 5.5 The island’s worst quake in recent years struck on Sept injured around 100,000 and destroyed thousands of buildings It was also a major wake-up call that led to key administrative reforms to improve emergency response and disaster reduction professor of political science and public policy at Northeastern University “Observers strongly criticized Taiwan’s response to the 21 September 1999 earthquake arguing that it took hours for emergency medical response teams to arrive and that the operations between government agencies were not well coordinated,” he wrote in an email the government passed the Disaster Prevention and Protection Act and set up two national centers to handle coordination and training for earthquakes “I think we’re seeing the results in this most recent shock,” he said A police officer stands guard near a partially collapsed building a day after a powerful earthquake struck in Hualien City HUALIEN CITY, Taiwan – A massive, 7.4 magnitude earthquake that hit Taiwan Wednesday morning sent bridges swaying and buried mountainous roads in landslides "The road below my feet suddenly turned into what felt like waves on water," said Vincent Tseng Yet, the day after what was the worst quake to hit the Asian island in a quarter century most residents cannot stop talking about how much worse it could have been authorities say nine people were killed during the quake and just over 1,000 people were injured Train service through the epicenter was restored within 24 hours Taiwan reorganized its disaster response and began a number of attempts at bottom-up and top-down responses to shocks," Aldrich says "What we're seeing in 2024 is a direct outcome of the previous response and governmental criticism." Over the next 25 years, Taiwan embarked on a campaign to retrofit and reinforce existing bridges and buildings to withstand more intensive seismic waves, while mandating strict adherence to earthquake-resistant building codes. Much of the island's housing stock was built before 1999 "We have upgraded our infrastructure a lot since then including thickening walls and adding pillars," Zheng Rushi a civil engineer with the Hualian municipal government Taiwan also instituted an earthquake alert system though the system malfunctioned on Wednesday Each earthquake Taiwan experienced has offered a learning experience. Following a deadly 2016 earthquake, engineers discovered that a collapsed high-rise building had used faulty designs that favored big which were in part to blame for the higher number of fatalities and collapses Among the updated codes are more robust steel rebar designs embedded in reinforced concrete and staging regular earthquake drills among the general public Rescue workers are shown looking for possible victims within the remains of an apartment that collapsed in the magnitude 6.4 earthquake in the southern Taiwanese city of Tainan on Feb "The most important the task that we have done is the retrofit for the whole schools," says Kuo-Fong Ma a research fellow and seismologist at the Academia Sinica in Taipei The measures are crucial, given Taiwan's familiarity with earthquakes. Every year, the island experiences more than 2,000 small quakes a year, though only a fraction are sizable enough to be noticeable to humans. At least three dozen active geological fault lines run underneath Taiwan "Taiwan has invested a lot of time and resources to make infrastructure more resilient to earthquakes," saysTrevor Carey a civil engineering professor at the University of British Columbia who traveled to Taiwan after the 2022 quakes to assess and learn from the damage "The team saw a lot of things that confirmed newer or updated infrastructure or retrofits did better during an earthquake and older non-retrofitted [buildings] did not do as well." a low-lying city on Taiwan's east coast close to the epicenter of Wednesday's earthquake residents had largely returned to life as normal and fewer than 100 buildings were damaged or destroyed during the earthquake multi-story building in the center of the city listed to its side while city workers piled a huge mound of dirt in front to prop the building up before they demolish it later this week Rescuers had pulled 24 people out of the building on Wednesday Become an NPR sponsor Taiwan — A major earthquake struck Taiwan during the morning rush hour on Wednesday collapsing buildings and triggering tsunami warnings in Japan and the Philippines At least 9 people were reported dead and 963 were injured in the strongest earthquake that has not seen since 1999 The quake hit near the eastern city of Hualien at 7:58 a.m. local time (2358 GMT) and had a magnitude of 7.4, according to the U.S. Geological Survey making it the strongest quake to hit since 1999 The depth was about 35 kilometers (22 miles) Taiwan's earthquake monitoring agency gave the magnitude as 7.2 with aftershocks continued for roughly two hours And there were reports in China that people as far away as Shanghai Images on television showed extensive damage including buildings listing to the side after having been shaken off their foundations The authorities suspended work and school in Hualien Officials also closed down eight power plants for safety though electricity remains on for the rest of the island TSMC, the world's leading maker of cutting edge microchips, temporarily evacuated production lines after the quake Taiwan's transportation authorities said train service was suspended island-wide Videos from the epicenter show rockslides covering roads and houses that were knocked off-kilter An initial tsunami warning issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency was lifted later on Wednesday The AP reported that a wave of 30 centimeters (about 1 foot) was detected on the coast of Yonaguni island about 15 minutes after the quake struck JAMA said waves likely also hit the coasts of Miyako and Yaeyama islands but residents in various coastal areas were advised to move to higher ground or move inland the last earthquake of a magnitude 7 or greater to hit the island was the Sept which destroyed thousands of buildings and killed more than 2,400 people John Ruwitch contributed reporting from Beijing Company deploys ground-penetrating radar on 54 Hualien roads A Japanese team helps detect the threat of sinkholes in Hualien 2912TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A company from Japan is using ground-penetrating radar to detect the threat of sinkholes in Hualien following the massive 0403 earthquake The magnitude 7.2 temblor on April 3 caused the collapse of buildings and inflicted severe damages on roads The disaster also dealt a massive blow to the region’s status as one of the country’s prime tourism destinations Japan’s Geo Search Co., Ltd. sent a team to Hualien after the quake to review 54 roads free of charge, CNA reported The company deployed ground-penetrating radar on vehicles covering 41.5 kilometers of road around the city to detect potential problems According to a news conference Tuesday presenting the results of their work the review uncovered anomalies at 177 locations the company used endoscope technology to complete a 3D model of the six most threatening sites said underground water pipes could start leaking The businesses underlined the importance of early detection work to prevent road damage while the city government sent crews to repair the most critical points Taiwan and Japan cooperate to promote rail tourism Taiwan’s scenic Taroko National Park needs 7 years of repairs after earthquake Taiwan vice president-elect takes DPP staff on trip to earthquake-hit area Taiwan earthquake relief donations top NT$1.64 billion Tzu Chi Foundation repair earthquake-damaged homes in east Taiwan New Taipei Fire Department mourns death of rescue dog President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Cabinet members yesterday activated the Central Emergency Operation Center (中央災害應變中心) to coordinate and supervise rescue and relief efforts following a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that hit Hualien County in the morning which is headquartered in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) Tsai and Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) received first-hand reports from government agencies on the situation in areas hardest hit by the earthquake and rescue operations Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) and Minister of the Interior Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) were also in attendance The officials received reports from agencies including the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction the Ministry of Transportation and Communications the National Fire Agency and the Ministry of Economic Affairs “Cabinet ministries are required to remain in constant communication with local government authorities for the latest updates and to organize emergency response measures while military units are ready to provide assistance and resources to central and local government agencies,” Tsai said Taiwan is likely to have aftershocks in the next few days “so everyone must stay alert and keep safe,” Lin said Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Air Force Command Headquarters There are three important things to remember in an earthquake: “Get down take cover and hold on to something sturdy,” he said the interior ministry activated its emergency response procedures and coordinated agencies to compile updates and begin the relief effort including the delivery of medical supplies and essential materials president-elect William Lai (賴清德) traveled to Hualien City yesterday afternoon visiting sites where the damage was most severe including the collapsed Tien Wang Hsing Building (天王星大樓) in which scores were injured and at least one person died “The most important issue is to rescue people and to determine how many people are still inside,” Lai said “Those with injuries must receive medical treatment while electricity and water services must be restored and roads must be cleared for traffic,” he said The central government would provide funding and resources for the Hualien City and Hualien County governments to help with rescue and rebuilding work That would include a rental subsidy for people affected by the earthquake and subsidies for repairs and reinforcement work The Ministry of Labor said in a statement that employers cannot mark employees as late if their commute was disrupted as the earthquake caused suspension of operations at several public transport systems nationwide employees can report their situation to a local labor bureau,” it said Ministry of Health and Welfare officials said that people who were injured in the quake but had lost their National Health Insurance card can receive medical care at ministry-authorized hospitals and clinics using “medical visit under special circumstances” rules “People can register their personal information and the date of the visit and get medical care,” they said adding that the National Health Insurance Administration would verify the person’s identity and issue a new card Officers at military bases across Taiwan have been ordered to have barracks field offices and training fields inspected for earthquake damage “After receiving reports of partial collapses of civilian buildings and other damage in Hualien troops at the Second Combat Zone have been mobilized to help with rescue and relief work,” it said the Air Force Command Headquarters said in a release that it authorized sorties by C-130H transport planes to Hualien with one carrying a rescue team of 15 from Tainan another a team of 30 from Kaohsiung and another 15-member team from Pingtung County please first agree to the privacy policy below.A train ran into rocks on the tracks after an apparent landslide near the Heren section of Hualien at around 5 p.m according to internal Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) reports (Full text of the story is now in CNA English news archive. 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You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in nearly 25 years rocked the island during the morning rush hour Wednesday Damage was reported around the island but tsunami threats in Taiwan and Japan were later lifted Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency gave the magnitude as 7.2 while the U.S Emergency services were on Wednesday carrying out rescue operations at the scene of a partially collapsed building at the epicentre of Taiwan’s earthquake zone in Hualien City Owner and her dogs woken up by tremors as Taiwan hit by strongest quake in nearly 25 years collapsing buildings in a city and creating a tsunami that washed ashore on Japanese islands Passengers wait to board a south bound train as some train services were suspended in the aftermath of an earthquake in Taipei In this photo released by the Hualien City Government a leaning building is cordoned off in the aftermath of an earthquake in Hualien members of a search and rescue team look for victims inside a leaning building in the aftermath of an earthquake in Hualien members of a search and rescue team prepare to enter a leaning building in the aftermath of an earthquake in Hualien People walk along a sidewalk by a TV showing a breaking news on tsunami for Okinawa region and Earthquake damage in Taiwan Wednesday Japan issued tsunami alerts Wednesday after a strong quakes near Taiwan looking for people who may be trapped and using excavators to stabilize damaged buildings trapped or stranded fluctuated as authorities learned of more in trouble and worked to locate or free them Some 70 workers who were stranded at two rock quarries were safe according to Taiwan’s national fire agency but the roads to reach them were damaged by falling rocks Six workers were going to be airlifted on Thursday TV showed neighbors and rescue workers lifting residents AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports on a strong earthquake in Taiwan But today was the first time I was scared to tears by an earthquake,” said Hsien-hsuen Keng who lives in a fifth-floor apartment in Taipei I had never felt such intense shaking before.” Most of the fatalities were caused by falling rocks including four people who were struck inside Taroko National Park according to the state Central News Agency One died in a residential building that was damaged A small tsunami washed ashore on southern Japanese islands but caused no damage At least 1,011 people were reported injured Authorities initially lost contact with 50 hotel employees in minibuses in the park after the quake downed phone networks; three employees walked to the hotel About two dozen tourists were also stranded in the park The quake and aftershocks caused many landslides and damaged roads a converted school built before World War II and sections of the main airport in Taoyuan Hualien Mayor Hsu Chen-wei said 48 residential buildings were damaged in the city Hsu said water and electricity supplies were in the process of being restored Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency said the quake was 7.2 magnitude while the U.S It struck about 18 kilometers (11 miles) from Hualien and was about 35 kilometers (21 miles) deep Traffic along the east coast was at a virtual standstill after the earthquake with landslides and falling debris hitting tunnels and highways Train service was suspended across the island of 23 million people with some tracks twisted by the stress of the quake where sections of a newly constructed elevated line split apart but did not collapse The initial panic quickly faded on the island which prepares for such events with drills at schools and notices issued via public media and mobile phone said Taiwan’s readiness is among the most advanced in the world and includes strict building codes and a world-class seismological network the metro station in the busy northern Taipei suburb of Beitou was again buzzing with people commuting to jobs and people arriving to visit the hot springs or travel the mountain paths at the base of an extinct volcano The earthquake was felt in Shanghai and provinces along China’s southeastern coast China and Taiwan are about 160 kilometers (100 miles) apart The Japan Meteorological Agency said a tsunami of 30 centimeters (about 1 foot) was detected on the coast of Yonaguni island about 15 minutes after the quake struck Smaller waves were measured in Ishigaki and Miyako islands All alerts in the region had been lifted by Wednesday afternoon The economic fallout from the quake has yet to be calculated Taiwan is the leading manufacturer of the world’s most sophisticated computer chips and other high-technology items that are highly sensitive to seismic events Parts of the electricity grid were shut down possibly leading to disruptions in the supply chain and financial losses Associated Press journalists Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Fu Ting and Didi Tang in Washington contributed to this report This story has been updated to correct that the 70 people stranded are in rock quarries Passenger train services along the east coast were fully restored by yesterday morning after efforts to clear blocked sections caused by the earthquake the day before Transportation authorities also opened maritime routes and added more flights to relieve urgent transportation needs due to blocked highways to Hualien County After round-the-clock work to clear the rails Taiwan Railway Corp announced the full restoration of a previously impassable section between Suao Township (蘇澳) in Yilan County and Siulin Township (秀林) in Hualien County “The two-way rail tracks on the eastern trunk line are back to normal and all stations along the line have resumed passenger services,” the rail company said in a statement yesterday morning Photo courtesy of the Pingtung County Police Bureau via CNA Ten more local train departures have also been added between Yilan City and Hualien City The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) arranged for maritime transport services for the east coast and authorized domestic airlines to add two daily flights from Taipei to Hualien City just before the start of the Tomb Sweeping Day long holiday The Maritime and Port Bureau has arranged for the use of the cargo ship Taipei Express to provide transport services for two days to and from Hualien City The vessel is a roll-on/roll-off ship designed to transport wheeled vehicles It disembarked from Suao Port at 9:30am yesterday A return trip was scheduled to leave Hualien Port and arrive at Suao Port at about 7pm The Taipei Express carried a total of 164 vehicles yesterday the ministry commissioned the ferry New Taima to aid transport services between Suao and Hualien over the weekend It left Suao Port today at 9:30am and returned to Suao at 2:30pm There were also reports of heavy traffic along the South Link Highway yesterday which cuts across the southern portion of the Central Mountain Range and connects Pingtung County to Taitung City since it was the only passable road for vehicles traveling between the west and east coasts Search-and-rescue efforts are still ongoing for about 40 people who remain missing while tour groups and independent travelers have been found in the mountainous areas of Taroko National Park and the Central Cross-Island Highway Workers resumed services to most sections of the Circular Line (Yellow Line) in New Taipei City The Dapinglin to Zhonghe stations are to resume services before the morning commute on Monday if there are no safety issues We rely on readers like you to support the local and international coverage on this website Your support makes this news available to everyone A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.