China News Service, April 4 (Xinhua) At 7:58 a.m. on the 3rd, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake occurred in the waters of Hualien County, Taiwan. The earthquake was felt throughout Taiwan. Since then, aftershocks have continued, and serious disasters have been reported in many places. According to the latest news from Taiwan's United Daily News, Taiwan's "Disaster Response Center" issued the latest announcement at about 7:26 this morning. The earthquake has currently killed 9 people and injured 1,038 people.
According to statistics from the Taiwan Meteorological Department, as of 7 a.m. today, there have been as many as 310 mainshocks and aftershocks in the Hualien earthquake. Wu Jianfu, director of the Earthquake Forecasting Center of the Taiwan Meteorological Department, said that as the larger earthquakes gradually decrease, it can be judged that this earthquake sequence has gradually calmed down. Due to manpower problems, aftershocks below magnitude 3 have not been released for the time being.
Affected by the earthquake, a section of track in one direction between Zhongyuan Station and Jing'an Station on the New Taipei City MRT (public transportation system) circular line was misaligned. Photo by China News Service reporter Yang Chengchen
Power: equivalent to the explosion of 32 atomic bombs
According to research and analysis by the China Seismological Network Center, the earthquake occurred on the northern section of the Huadong Longitudinal Valley Fault in Taiwan. Preliminary focal mechanism analysis results show that the earthquake was a thrust rupture.
It is reported that the area has a history of active strong earthquakes. Since 1970, 19 earthquakes of magnitude 7 or above have occurred within 300 kilometers of the epicenter. This earthquake is the first time in 17 years since the magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Pingtung Sea, Taiwan in 2006. earthquakes above magnitude.
The Meteorological Department of the Taiwan authorities stated that this strong earthquake was the largest earthquake in Taiwan 25 years after the "921" earthquake in 1999. A total of 12 counties and cities in Taiwan issued the highest level of warning.
The Uranus Building on Xuanyuan Road in Hualien is tilting severely. Image source: Photographed by Zhang Qi, Taiwan's "Central News Agency"
Taiwan earthquake expert Guo Kaiwen said that this earthquake was equivalent to the power of 32 atomic bombs.
Wu Jianfu pointed out that the energy of this earthquake has been slowly released over time. The larger aftershocks of 4 to 5 or 5 to 6 will gradually decrease. The smaller the scale, the less people will feel it. However, it is still necessary to observe whether the long-term trend is Stable, there will still be many small aftershocks in the future.
Disaster: 9 dead and 1,038 injured
After the earthquake occurred in the early morning of the 3rd, all MRT stations in Taipei and Kaohsiung were temporarily suspended. Light rail services have also been suspended across the board. Violent shaking occurred in many places in Taiwan, and the shaking lasted for at least one minute. Hualien, located near the epicenter, immediately began to report disaster.
The house of a breakfast restaurant on Beibin Street in Hualien City tilted and fell onto the road. The first floor was completely destroyed and all the vehicles on the roadside stopped driving. In addition, the cement water tower on the roof of a building in Hualien broke and collapsed on the spot, which was on the verge of collapse.
Many trails in Taroko Park suffered from falling rocks and landslides, and tourists on the Dekaron Trail were killed and injured by falling rocks due to the earthquake.
A car in the parking lot of Huide Tunnel on Suhua Highway was crushed by falling rocks. When police arrived at the scene, they found one person dead in the car. Image source: Taiwan's "Central News Agency" provided by the police
The earthquake also caused multiple rockfalls and landslides in the Suhua Road Corridor, destroying passenger cars. Suhua Road Corridor was completely closed after the earthquake, with no way out. 100 meters away from the north entrance of the Aohua Tunnel on the old Suhua Highway, a falling rock injured a hiker and caused a broken leg.
In addition, the island's power facilities were affected by the earthquake, and 308,000 households experienced power outages.
Someone died after being hit by a falling rock on the Karen Trail in Taroko Park. Image source: Taiwan’s “Central News Agency” provided by Taroko Park
Many schools in Taiwan were closed due to the earthquake, causing serious losses. As of 3 p.m. on the 3rd, Taiwan's education department preliminary statistics revealed that 380 schools had been affected by the disaster, with losses exceeding NT$250 million, the highest in recent years, with Hualien Girls' High School suffering the most serious losses.
A teaching building at Donghua University in Hualien County also heard explosions and fire alarms after the earthquake. The fire burned for more than several hours and was not extinguished.
After the earthquake, all special search teams from Taiwan's "Fire Department" fire departments in various counties and cities rushed to Hualien to stand by for rescue.
Taiwan's "Disaster Response Center" issued the latest announcement at about 7:26 this morning. The earthquake has now killed 9 people and injured 1,038 people.
In terms of disasters in various counties and cities, New Taipei City ranked first with 288 cases, followed by Hualien County with 175 cases, and Taoyuan City with 102 cases.
Cross-Strait: "May our compatriots be safe and sound"
After the earthquake, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that relevant parties in the mainland are highly concerned and express their sincere condolences to the Taiwan compatriots affected by the disaster. They will pay close attention to the disaster and follow-up situations, and are willing to provide disaster relief assistance.
Looking back on the past, when one side is in trouble, the other side, who are part of the same family and across the strait, will lend a helping hand. Whether it was the Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008 or the "88th Typhoon Disaster" in 2009, compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait help each other, and a friend in need is a friend indeed.
Shenzhen Airport Group stated on the 3rd that when one side is in trouble, everyone is united. Their hearts are with the earthquake-stricken areas in Taiwan. From now on, a dedicated green channel for passengers and cargo will be opened at Shenzhen Airport for flights to Taiwan Airport, and relevant fees will be waived. The Shanghai Taiwan Compatriots Investment Enterprises Association quickly organized mobilization and launched a special fund-raising operation "Cross-Strait One Family, Shanghai and Taiwan Heart to Heart", donating funds for the relief and post-disaster reconstruction of Hualien's disaster-stricken people.
Screenshot of netizen comments
The earthquake disaster in Taiwan has also touched the hearts of many mainland netizens. On social media, they have posted comments such as "I wish you peace," "I wish my compatriots are safe," and "I hope Taiwan will return to normal as soon as possible. I am so worried about being in the mainland."