Taiwan earthquake: Hundreds trapped as 'terrifying' aftershocks hit
Frightening aftershocks have resulted in individuals resorting to sleeping in tents while the quest for individuals who are still missing proceeds after Taiwan's most powerful earthquake in a quarter of a century.
According to the National Fire Agency, there are 11 individuals unaccounted for and 705 people still unable to leave after the earthquake hit during peak commuting hours on Wednesday.
The organization stated that among those who are currently trapped, a total of 688 individuals are from the Tianxiang Youth Activity Centre and the Silks Place Taroko hotel.
A total of ten individuals lost their lives, with four of them being unfortunate victims of falling rocks while inside Taroko National Park.
A minimum of 1,099 individuals suffered injuries following the earthquake that hit Hualien county in eastern Taiwan at 7:58 am local time (12:58 am in the UK) on Wednesday.
To keep searching for individuals who are stuck on the cross-island highway, helicopters and drones have been sent out. This highway spans a canyon and links Taiwan's eastern and western coasts.
Officials announced that they will deliver provisions to individuals who are discovered in the ravine and might have gotten trapped while exploring the favored vacation spot.
After the successful rescue of 77 individuals who were trapped underground in the Dachingshui and Jinwen tunnels located in Hualien County, another group of over 30 individuals, mainly comprised of employees from the luxurious Silks Place Taroko hotel, were rescued on Thursday.
The earthquake monitoring agency of Taiwan stated that the quake on Wednesday morning had a magnitude of 7.2. However, the magnitude was reported differently by the US Geological Survey, who claimed it to be 7.4, and Japan's meteorological agency, who claimed it to be 7.7.
The central location of the first earthquake occurred roughly 11 miles to the southwest of Hualien and had a depth of approximately 22 miles.
Yu, a woman of 52 years of age, expressed that the aftershocks were daunting and continued throughout the night, preventing her from feeling secure enough to sleep in her house. She stated that her house was disorganized due to the effects of the earthquake.
Instead, she decided to stay in a tent that was set up at a sports field and was being used as a temporary shelter.
She expressed that the aftershocks were extremely frightening and ongoing. She lacks the courage to rest inside the residence.
After the first earthquake, people discovered that buildings were in a vulnerable position at strange angles. Furthermore, a video clip showed a man swimming in a pool that was moving back and forth due to the earthquake.
Learn more: Earthquake causes highway to shake violently as rescue teams comb through debris for survivors.
We recommend utilizing the Chrome browser to enable easier usage of the video player.
During that time, there were worries about the likelihood of disturbance in the supply chain for semiconductor chips produced by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) due to the earthquake. TSMC is the primary contract chip manufacturer for leading companies such as Apple and Nvidia. There were reports of the company evacuating some of their factories, adding to the concerns.
Despite many facilities being located at a distance from the epicentre, TSMC has stated that inspections will be carried out and work will resume overnight on Wednesday.
According to Dan Hutcheson, who holds the position of vice-chair at TechInsights, a research firm based in Canada, the recent incident is unlikely to impact the quarterly revenues of the firm if viewed from a business perspective. However, it will be a challenging task for all parties concerned to restore operations to their previous state.
