China News Service, April 5 (Xinhua) According to Taiwan media reports, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake occurred off the coast of Hualien County, Taiwan on April 3. The number of victims increased by one person. As of the evening of the 4th, the earthquake caused 10 deaths, 1,099 injuries, 705 people trapped and 15 People are out of touch.
On the 4th, search and rescue personnel advanced into the Hualien Mountains to rescue more than 100 trapped people. Some of the rescued people said that "the falling rocks were like bullets, and they couldn't sleep all night." A 65-year-old man who was buried on the Xiaozuilu Trail has been confirmed to have died.
The Taiwan Meteorological Department stated that as of 9 pm on the 4th, there had been a total of 401 aftershocks across Taiwan. According to statistics from Taiwan's "Disaster Response Center" at 9 p.m. on the 4th, the number of people trapped in the Hualien earthquake increased from 101 on the morning of the 4th to 705 after noon. The trapped people included people from Tianxiang Jingying Hotel and Tianxiang Activity Center. 688 people, including 10 employees of Jingying Hotel in Jiuqudong, 6 students of Donghua University, and an Indian man at 170 kilometers of Provincial Highway 8. At present, air service helicopters have carried drinking water and food to the mountains for airdrops.
The 15 missing people include 6 people from Shakadeng Trail, 1 person from Zhonghe Mine, 2 camping couples from Xiulin Township, 1 person from Gaoshan No. 40, Fengbin Township, and 1 person from Luoshao. There are also missing foreigners. There are 4 people, including 1 Indian, 1 Canadian and 2 Australians.
The Hualien County Fire Department pointed out that six people were missing while hiking in the Shakadang Tunnel. Someone reported witnessing a landslide at the scene, hitting a family of five surnamed You. Rescuers have not yet found them. The military will excavate possible areas today.
According to reports, the strong earthquake briefly disrupted railway and highway traffic from Hualien to the north. The railway was opened on the 4th, but some roads are still under repair. The "Highway Bureau" pointed out that the Qingshui Bridge under the Suhua Highway on Provincial Highway 9 was hit by a huge boulder, forming a gap. It strives to repair it before 6 pm on the 6th to allow cars to pass. The overall reconstruction will not be until the end of this year. There were 15 disaster spots on the Zhongheng Highway on Provincial Highway 8 due to rockfalls. Ten of them had been cleared on the 4th, and the repair schedule was unclear.