At least nine people killed and hundreds injured in Taiwan due to the strongest earthquake in 25 years

The death toll could still rise. Buildings have collapsed in the hard-hit coastal city of Hualien and elsewhere; Rescue work is still in full swing. Television images show that buildings there have sagged and fallen serpents. Bulldozers are used to remove debris from access roads.

The quake had a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter scale, making it the strongest to hit the country in 25 years. The epicenter was at a depth of 15.5 kilometers. The coastal city of Hualien received a force of 6.0. According to an initial estimate, approximately thirty buildings were destroyed by the earthquake, seventeen of which were in Hualien.

The rescue and recovery efforts are being hampered by heavy aftershocks with a magnitude of up to 7.0 on the Richter scale. This could take at least another four days, authorities fear.

At least four tourists died

Communications along the island nation’s east coast have been blocked in many places by fallen or shifted rocks. Taiwanese media report that ships are being deployed to reach isolated places along the coast. An attempt is also being made to make a railway usable again by Thursday at the latest.

At least four of the victims who died were tourists who were on a coastal path or in a nature park on the east coast.

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it has no indications yet that there have been Dutch casualties.

Heaviest earthquake since 1999

Major chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is based in Taiwan. According to an employee, work had to be stopped there briefly.

The quake could also be felt outside Taiwan; People in China’s Fujian province and the metropolis of Hong Kong said they had felt earthquakes on social media.

Taiwan is regularly rocked by earthquakes. That is why strict building regulations apply.

According to the seismological service, it was probably the strongest earthquake since 1999. At the time, the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.6 on the Richter scale; 2300 people died then.