bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

At least seven people were killed when a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck the Taiwanese city of Hualien late on Tuesday night, trapping dozens in collapsed buildings and damaging roads and bridges. 
Premier William Lai said two of those killed were employees of the Marshal Hotel, which had collapsed; he also said that more than 200 people were injured, some seriously. 
The Central Emergency Operation Centre said the quake caused four buildings in Hualien to collapse, including the Marshal Hotel, the bottom floor of which was completely crushed, and a motel-cum-residential building that crumpled from the third floor down.
Rescuers believe people are still trapped inside damaged buildings.
Among those injured, two were mainland Chinese tourists, China News Service reported. The mother and son were travelling in Hualien when the quake struck. 
The strong quake struck 21km (13 miles) northeast of Hualien, a city of more than 100,000, just before midnight at a depth of about 9.5km, the US Geological Society said. 
Beijing and Taipei team up in space to track earthquakes
As multiple aftershocks continued to strike the area, President Tsai Ing-wen arrived in Hualien on Wednesday morning to survey the damage.
Sections of the Suhua Highway connecting Ilan and Hualien counties were severely damaged. Cracks appeared on bridges and roads, leading to closures in some cases. Damage to gas pipes was also detected.
The Hualien county government said workplaces and schools would be closed on Wednesday. 


Among the injured were two Japanese, although a Japanese official said on Wednesday they were not in a life threatening condition.


“It’s the biggest quake I’ve experienced in Hualien in more than 10 years,” said resident Blue Hsu, who said his home shook violently.
Describing the scene at the Marshal Hotel, Hsu said the bottom storeys had been crushed.  
“The lower floors sunk into the ground and I saw panicked tourists being rescued from the hotel. There is one bulldozer and about 50 rescuers on the scene,” he said.



Authorities said that more than 100 people were taken to hospital with injuries, and officials from the Hualien fire department said 149 people had been rescued from damaged buildings. 
Those in charge said some people remained trapped but were unable to give an overall figure.
More than 35,000 families have been left without fresh water and about 200 families do not have electricity. 
7.2-magnitude earthquake shakes parts of Taiwan, including Taipei
The fire agency said the Beautiful Life Hotel had also been damaged and was tilting.
Hualien is one of Taiwan’s most popular tourist hubs as it lies on the picturesque east coast rail line and is near to popular Taroko Gorge.

“[Tsai Ing-wen] has asked the cabinet and related ministries to immediately launch the ‘disaster mechanism’ and to work at the fastest rate on disaster relief work,” the leader’s office said in a statement.
The earthquake was the second to strike off the coast of Hualien in just days. 
The city lies on the Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean known for seismic activity from Alaska to Southeast Asia. 

The quake came exactly two years after a magnitude 6.4 quake struck southern Taiwan, causing the collapse of an apartment complex and the deaths of 115 people.
In September 1999, a magnitude 7.6 quake killed about 2,400 people on the island.
Additional reporting by Reuters, Associated Press


Taipei mayor Chiang Wan-an to attend annual forum in Shanghai under Taiwan’s watch

Provocative Japanese actions risk plunging Asia into peril: PLA Daily

Japan overplayed its hand at the table of great powers

China-Japan row has left US’ Donald Trump facing ‘dilemma’: analyst

Taiwan

At least seven killed, more than 200 injured after magnitude 6.4 quake strikes Taiwan, trapping people in collapsed buildings

Emergency services deal with the aftermath of the magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck in Hualien, Taiwan, late on Tuesday night. Photo: AP

Rescue workers search through rubble outside the Marshal Hotel in Hualien, eastern Taiwan early February 7, 2018, after a strong earthquake struck the island. A hotel on the east coast of Taiwan has collapsed after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake, the government said. / AFP PHOTO / STR / Taiwan OUT

A 6.4 magnitude quake struck 22km off the coast of Taiwan's northeastern port city Hualien just before midnight on Feburary 6, 2018

Costumers escaped from the damaged Marshal Hotel stay outside in Hualien, eastern Taiwan, after a strong quake on February 7, 2018. A hotel on the east coast of Taiwan has collapsed after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake, the government said. / AFP PHOTO / YANG JEN-FU

Taipei rejects Beijing’s offer of help with earthquake rescue mission - just before second quake

Rescue workers recover a body from a damaged building in Hualien on Wednesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Rescue workers block off the area outside a building which tilted to one side after its foundation collapsed in Hualien after a strong 6.4-magnitude quake rocked eastern Taiwan early on February 7, 2018. Rescue workers pulled survivors and bodies from buildings tilting precariously in the Taiwanese city of Hualien on February 7 after an overnight earthquake killed at least six people, injured more than 200 and left dozens missing. Emergency responders were focusing on a 12-storey apartment block and a nearby hotel, both of which were leaning dangerously with their lower floors pancaked after the 6.4-magnitude quake hit the popular tourist city late Tuesday. / AFP PHOTO / PAUL YANG

TOPSHOT - Costumers escaped from the damaged Marshal Hotel stay outside in Hualien, eastern Taiwan, after a strong quake on February 7, 2018. A hotel on the east coast of Taiwan has collapsed after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake, the government said. / AFP PHOTO / YANG JEN-FU

epa06501541 A handout photo made available by Taiwan's Presidential Office shows President Tsai Ing-wen (L) visiting a man who was injured in the earthquake at a hospital in Hualien, eastern Taiwan, 07 February 2018. According to local media reports at least four people were killed and more than 200 injured in the 6.4 magnitude earthquake on 06 February that severely damaged and partially collapsed at least four buildings. Rescue operations are underway as more than 100 people are believed to be missing in the rubble. EPA-EFE/TAIWAN PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

Fire fighters look for survivors after an earthquake hit Hualien, Taiwan February 7, 2018. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

News

China

People & Culture

Earthquakes