Rescuers in Taiwan faced the threat of further landslides and rockfalls as they searched April 5 for a dozen people still missing from the April 3 earthquake. The death toll rose to 12 as some of those stranded were brought to safety.
Searchers discovered two more bodies after the 7.2 magnitude quake struck the sparsely populated, largely rural eastern county of Hualien, stranding hundreds in a national park as boulders barreled down mountains, cutting off roads. About 50 aftershocks rattled the area overnight, some felt as far away as Taipei.
The powerful quake struck during the morning rush hour, sending schoolchildren rushing outdoors and families fleeing their apartments through the windows. The ground floors of some buildings collapsed, leaving them leaning at precarious angles. Though the island is regularly rattled by earthquakes and generally well prepared, authorities did not send out the usual alerts because they were expecting a smaller temblor.
Hualien was last struck by a deadly quake in 2018. It killed 17 people and brought down a historic hotel. Taiwan’s worst recent earthquake struck on Sept. 21, 1999, a magnitude 7.7 temblor that caused 2,400 deaths, injured around 100,000 and destroyed thousands of buildings.(Reuters, AP)
毎週届く！
