Taiwan was struck by its strongest earthquake in more than two decades on Wednesday morning, resulting in at least nine deaths as dozens of buildings were severely damaged across the island. The epicenter of the quake was in Hualien County on the island’s east coast, with the USGS measuring it at 7.4 magnitude while Taiwan’s monitoring agency reported it as 7.2 magnitude. At least 26 buildings have collapsed on the island, and more than 50 people have sustained injuries.
Some of the most dramatic images of the disaster showed a five-story building in Hualien City leaning diagonally toward the right after what appears to be the collapse of its first floor. The earthquake briefly triggered a tsunami warning in parts of Japan and the Philippines, but they were lifted a few hours later as no major waves were detected. Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, expressed gratitude for the support received from around the world and praised the first responders for their life-saving work, urging people to stay safe and keep in touch with loved ones affected by the disaster.
Wednesday’s earthquake was the strongest to hit Taiwan since 1999, when a 7.6 magnitude temblor claimed over 2,400 lives and destroyed thousands of buildings. Hualien was previously struck by a 6.4-magnitude quake in 2018 which resulted in at least 17 deaths. A year later, a 6.1 magnitude temblor caused damage to some buildings in Hualien and resulted in one fatality. TSMC, the world’s largest manufacturer of advanced chips, evacuated workers from some of its factories and paused work on some machinery after the earthquake. However, the company later confirmed that all workers were safe and many had returned to work. The impact of the disruption on the chipmaker is still unclear, with shares in the company down 1.27% in afternoon trading in Taipei.
The BBC reported that at least nine people have died in the earthquake, with Reuters stating that more than 50 people sustained injuries and at least 26 buildings collapsed on the island. Images of the disaster showed the devastating impact, with a five-story building in Hualien City leaning precariously after the collapse of its first floor. In response to the disaster, Taiwan’s president thanked the international community for their support and praised the first responders for their efforts. The earthquake briefly triggered a tsunami warning in Japan and the Philippines, but the warnings were later lifted as no major waves were detected.
The earthquake in Taiwan is the strongest to hit the island in over two decades, with the USGS reporting a 7.4 magnitude and Taiwan’s monitoring agency a 7.2 magnitude. Previous earthquakes have impacted Hualien, with a 6.4-magnitude quake in 2018 resulting in 17 deaths and a 6.1 magnitude temblor causing damage in 2019. TSMC, a major chipmaker, faced disruptions as workers were evacuated from factories, but all employees were reported safe and had returned to work. The impact of the earthquake on the company is uncertain, with shares down in afternoon trading in Taipei.
