China News Service, Hualien, April 5th: Title: The third day of the strong earthquake in Hualien: Search and rescue in mountainous areas under rainy weather
China News Service reporter Yang Chengchen
A strong earthquake off the coast of Hualien, measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale, and hundreds of aftershocks subsequently caused severe damage to the Central Cross-Country Highway on Provincial Highway 8. On April 5, the third day after the earthquake, rain and foggy weather in Taroko, Hualien made rescue in the mountainous area more difficult.
At the search and rescue command post not far from the entrance of Zhongheng Highway, search and rescue team members, medical staff, volunteers, and media reporters were busy, and rescue helicopters passed by from time to time. When the intercom transmits the news that the rescued people are about to arrive, the on-site staff clears the channel and is ready to receive it.
At 1:44, ambulance vehicles roared past again with sirens blaring. Mr. Lin, who had just been evacuated to the command post by helicopter from the Tianxiang Activity Center, had just recovered from the shock. He measured his blood pressure in the ambulance shed and found that the value was still high. Lin Yanyu, leader of the medical team of Kaohsiung City's special search team, told China News Service that due to the interruption of daily medication, some trapped people developed symptoms such as high blood pressure and heart palpitations. "We will conduct preliminary treatment and then decide whether to send them to the hospital. After confirming that the rescued people are healthy, they can leave."
On April 5, the third day after the earthquake in Hualien, Taiwan, Mr. Lin was evacuated by helicopter from the Tianxiang Activity Center to the Taroko Search and Rescue Command Post for a health check. Photo by China News Service reporter Yang Chengchen
Mr. Lin told reporters how he suffered an earthquake in the mountains and waited for rescue for more than two days. He said there was no problem with the food supply at Tianxiang Activity Center, but there was a water shortage due to a broken water pipe. "Sometimes there are power outages, and the network signal has not been restored. We have no way to contact the outside world."
As of 5:30 pm on the 5th, the rain increased and the sky became dark, and the search and rescue work in the mountainous area came to an end for the time being. Sixty teachers and students and more than 20 trapped people at Xibao Primary School, which has received attention from the outside world, have received supplies airdropped by the rescue team. That day, more than 80 people left the trapped area by helicopter. According to the Taiwan Fire Department, four Hong Kong tourists were among them.
The most distressing thing is the six missing people on the Shakadang Trail. Two of them were found. Unfortunately, they were pinned down by boulders weighing several tons and had no vital signs.
Chen Shihong, deputy captain of the Pingtung County Special Search Team, who came to Hualien on the 3rd, said that the two trapped persons were dead when they were found. "An aftershock of about magnitude 5 (on the Richter scale) just occurred. Rocks are constantly falling. It is difficult to remove them now."
The Pingtung County Special Search Team sent 38 members to support the search and rescue. "Every time the team members are dispatched, they have to walk 2 to 5 kilometers in the mountains and river valleys." Chen Shihong said that aftershocks not only make the clearance more difficult, but also increase unpredictable risks for the search and rescue personnel themselves.
Next to the temporary rest area of the special search team, volunteer Chen Peizhen is making broth for the on-site staff. Frequent aftershocks caused the road to shake constantly, and her right wrist was burned with large blisters.
On the 3rd, Chen Peizhen and his wife, who were on their way back to Kaohsiung, heard that the disaster was serious in Hualien, so they rushed to Hualien with two friends. For more than two days, they provided meals for the staff of the Taroko Search and Rescue Command Post. Fried noodles and fried rice were the main foods. As the search and rescue teams took turns going down the mountain to rest, the fire in the back of the pickup truck was almost never extinguished. "We plan to help until the rescue is over."
On April 5, the third day after the earthquake in Hualien, Taiwan, volunteer Chen Peizhen was preparing meals for the search and rescue team members. Photo by China News Service reporter Yang Chengchen
On the evening of the 5th, Chen Zehong, a volunteer also from southern Taiwan, delivered the rice burgers to the staff one by one. The heavy rain did not affect Chen Zehong's meal preparation progress. "Although the aftershocks were shocking, I also gained courage when I saw everyone working together." He told reporters.
According to the Taiwan authorities' Disaster Response Center, as of 9 p.m. that day, 636 people were still trapped and 10 people were missing, all concentrated in the Hualien area.
The "golden 72 hours" of geological disaster rescue is approaching. Chen Shihong said: "We have also had the experience of searching for survivors after 72 hours in the past. Although the search and rescue of earth-rock landslides is more difficult, we will continue to do so." (End)