Powerful earthquake in Taiwan, nine dead and 50 missing

by Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee

TAIPEI (Reuters) – A 7.2 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Taiwan on Wednesday, the island’s strongest in 25 years, left nine dead and more than 800 injured while 50 people went missing while were going to a natural park, authorities announced.

Television channels broadcast images of dangerously tilted buildings in Hualien County, a sparsely populated, mountainous region in the east of the island near the epicenter of the quake that struck around 8 a.m. (0000 GMT). .

“It was very violent. It felt like the house was going to collapse,” said Chang Yu-Lin, who lives in Taipei, the capital.

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The earthquake, which was located at a depth of 15.5 km very close to the eastern coast of the island, struck as residents were heading to work or school. Tsunami warnings were issued from the Philippines to southern Japan before being lifted.

The quake caused major landslides in some mountainous areas while powerful aftershocks briefly shut down the Taipei metro.

Firefighters said they were painfully extricating people trapped in tunnels near the city of Hualien, including two Germans.

However, they say they lost contact with 50 tourists who were heading in four minibuses to a hotel in Taroko Gorge National Park, without further details.

“At the moment, the most important thing, the first priority, is to save people,” said President-elect Lai Ching-te, speaking in front of a collapsed building in Hualien.

The rail line providing access to the area is expected to be restored on Thursday, added Lai Ching-te, who will take office next month.

TSMC AND FOXCONN FACTORIES BRIEFLY SHUT DOWN

In Japan, the meteorological agency put the magnitude of the earthquake at 7.7 and reported that several small tsunami waves had reached the coast of Okinawa prefecture, in the south of the archipelago.

The Philippine seismological agency also issued an alert asking residents of coastal regions of several provinces to evacuate to higher places.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii later said the risk of a powerful wave had passed.

Chinese state media said the quake was felt in the southeastern province of Fujian, and a Reuters reporter said the tremor was also felt in Shanghai.

Power company Taipower said electricity had been almost fully restored to the island, where the two nuclear power plants were unscathed.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), a major supplier of chips to Apple and Nvidia, said it had evacuated some factories and that its security systems were operating normally.

“To ensure the safety of personnel, some sites have been evacuated in accordance with company procedures,” the semiconductor giant said in a statement, later announcing that employees had begun returning to work.

Foxconn, a major Apple subcontractor, also said it had closed some production lines to carry out inspections. It said its industrial equipment was not damaged and was gradually returning to normal activity.

According to Taiwan’s official news agency, this is the most violent earthquake the island has experienced since 1999, when a 7.6 magnitude earthquake killed 2,400 people and destroyed 50,000 buildings.

(With contributions from the Shanghai and Hong Kong offices, written by Bernard Orr; French version Camille Raynaud, Kate Entringer and Bertrand Boucey, edited by Blandine Hénault)