What We Know About the Earthquake in Taiwan

A strong 7.4-magnitude earthquake that rocked Taiwan in the course of the morning commute on Wednesday was the strongest quake to hit the island in 25 years.

It initially triggered forecasts of tsunami waves in China, Japan and the Philippines, however these warnings had been later canceled. There had been greater than 100 aftershocks and extra had been anticipated over the subsequent three to 4 days.

Here’s what we all know in regards to the earthquake and its aftermath.

What is the dying toll?

The earthquake killed a minimum of 9 folks and injured greater than 930 others, Taiwan’s hearth division mentioned Wednesday night. Dozens remained trapped.

Among the dead had been a minimum of three hikers who had been hit by falling rocks on a path in Taroko National Park, in response to the state-owned Central News Agency.

What elements of Taiwan had been affected?

The heaviest injury was in Hualien County on the east coast close to the epicenter, which was about 11 miles south of the town of Hualien, the county seat. All 9 individuals who died had been within the county, the authorities mentioned. But the quake was felt all through Taiwan.

Buildings shook for greater than a minute within the capital, Taipei. Rail companies had been halted throughout the island. Airlines canceled or delayed dozens of flights. More than 360,000 households misplaced energy at one level on Wednesday, in response to Taiwan’s Central Emergency Operation Center.

What was broken?

The worst injury was within the metropolis of Hualien, the place a number of buildings had been tilted over with their ground-floor ranges crushed. One of the buildings, a 10-story construction that housed a mixture of houses and retailers, was one of many facilities of the rescue efforts.

Throughout Taiwan, the quake and its aftershocks induced 15 buildings to break down partially and broken 67 others. One constructing in Changhua County, on the west coast, collapsed solely, in response to Taiwan’s hearth division.

The quake additionally set off a minimum of 9 landslides on a significant freeway in Hualien, in response to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, which mentioned a part of the highway had collapsed.

How ready was Taiwan?

Taiwan has improved its stage of preparation over a long time of experiencing damaging earthquakes. It has refined its early warning system because the Nineteen Eighties. It additionally up to date its constructing codes in 2022, requiring homeowners of weak buildings to put in reinforcements.

Taiwan established an city search-and-rescue staff and opened a number of emergency medical operation facilities after an earthquake in central Taiwan killed practically 2,500 folks in 1999. The authorities additionally ordered a wave of constructing inspections in 2018 after 17 folks died in a quake in Hualien.

Why has Taiwan had so many earthquakes?

Many lethal earthquakes have struck Taiwan previously century. The island sits on a number of lively faults, that are related to seismic exercise. It is close to the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an space the U.S. Geological Survey says is essentially the most seismically and volcanically lively zone on this planet.