Taiwan earthquake: 9 dead, over 1,000 injured; rescue operations underway

The most powerful earthquake to hit Taiwan in nearly a quartercentury has led to nine fatalities with 143 individuals still trapped in the rubbles and over 1000 injured the island nations Central News Agency CNA reported citing local and central authoritiesThe casualties all reported in Hualien encompass four victims in Taroko Gorge two near the Dachingshui and Huide tunnels one in a residential building in Hualien City and one in the Hejen mining area with most resulting from rockfallsFurthermore the nine deceased included five women and four men as per available data till 1000 pm Wednesday according to CNAAccording to the National Fire Agency out of 143 seven people were trapped in the Renhe mining area 47 hotel employees and 24 tourists at Jiuqudong 64 individuals in the Heping mining area and one on the Jhuilu Trekking and Hiking trailChen Chengchi Deputy Commander of the Central Emergency Operation Centre CEOC and Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs highlighted that current rescue efforts are primarily concentrated on Provincial Highway No8He emphasised the importance of rescue personnel prioritising their safety particularly during nighttime operationsHowever an earlier report from Silks Place Taroko indicated that three of its employees had made their way to the hotel from nearby Jiuqudong and confirmed the safety of the other 47 employeesMoreover these employees stated that over 20 tourists remain trapped near Jiuqudong but are safe and awaiting rescueMeanwhile the CEOC announced that 75 individuals who were previously trapped in multiple tunnels on the Dachingshui and Jinwen sections of Provincial Highway No 9 have all been successfully rescued following the clearance of roads by the transportation ministryThe Hualien County Government disclosed that over 600 individuals are still stranded and have been provided accommodation within Taroko National Park including guests and staff at Silks Place Taroko Tienhsiang Youth Activity Center and Taroko Village HotelIn response the New Taipei City Governments Social Welfare Department established 15 shelters across four districts to assist affected residentsAs of 800 pm 269 people were utilizing these shelter facilitiesThe Kaohsiung Fire Bureau reported the rescue of two foreign nationals a 29yearold man and a 35yearold woman around 8 pm on the Shakadang Trail Both individuals sustained minor injuries but remained conscious and were subsequently transported to a hospital by the Hualien County Fire Bureau after receiving onsite medical treatmentIn terms of transportation the Civil Aviation Administration arranged additional flights and transportation to outlying islands for the upcoming Tomb Sweeping Day from April 47 This includes eight extra flights to Hualien on Wednesday and Thursday as reported by CNARailway services are slated to resume Thursday morning aiming to facilitate orderly travel arrangements for the publicRegarding water and electricity supply the Ministry of Economic Affairs reported that 371869 households experienced power outages nationwide with 1073 households still without power late Wednesday Among them 660 are expected to have power restored later in the eveningAdditionally 125675 households initially suffered water stoppages across Taiwan with 14718 households still facing water shortages including 14500 in Hualien Restoration efforts are expected to be completed by midnight Thursday with water trucks dispatched to affected areas in the interimFurthermore the ministry noted that 20 of the 80 damaged cell phone base stations had been repaired by late Wednesday The National Communications Commission aims to gradually restore the remaining stations by Friday the Central News Agency reportedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever