The death toll due to an earthquake that struck Taiwan on Wednesday has risen to nine, while 882 people have been injured, according to Taiwan’s National Fire Agency (NFA).
The NFA did not indicate the severity of the injuries.
Dozens trapped: 131 people are currently trapped, including 50 employees of the Silks Place Hotel Taroko, who were traveling in four minibuses. Authorities have been unable to reach them by phone, and have listed them as trapped for the time being.
Two German citizens who were trapped earlier in a tunnel in Hualien County have been rescued, the NFA added.
Hospitals across Taiwan’s capital, Taipei City, are operating normally despite being damaged by Wednesday’s earthquake, according to the Municipal Government.
At least seven hospitals in the city are reported to have suffered some structural damage including “fallen tiles, partially fallen ceilings, cracks in the wall and electricity outage,” according to a government statement.
It said only one hospital was still offline following the quake.
A building in Hualien County, Taiwan, partially collapsed after a powerful earthquake rocked the island on April 3. VCG/Getty Images
At least seven people have died after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan on Wednesday.
About 77 are trapped or stranded, including four foreign nationals.
About 60 of those are trapped in the Jinwen Tunnel in northern Hualien County, Taiwan’s National Fire Agency (NFA) said.
Another 15 are trapped in the Dachingshui Tunnel, and two German nationals are trapped in a third tunnel.
Source: BBC
