Taiwan was hit by the strongest earthquake in a quarter of a century on Wednesday morning, damaging buildings and killing four people at the time of writing.
The quake killed at least four people and injured at least 57 in Hualien County, according to Taiwan’s National Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Three hikers were killed in a rockslide in Taroko National Park near the epicenter, the local United Daily News reported.
A five-story building sustained significant damage, with the first floor collapsing and the rest leaning at a 45-degree angle. CBN News I will report. In Taiwan’s capital, schools were evacuated and buildings were also damaged due to the earthquake.
“Earthquakes are common, and I’ve gotten used to them. But today was the first time I was so scared that an earthquake brought me to tears,” said Ken Shengxuen, a resident of Taipei. “I was woken up by an earthquake. It was the first time I felt such strong shaking.”
The fifth floor of her home shook violently, and she said, “Aside from an earthquake drill at an elementary school, this was my first time in a situation like this.”
In Taiwan, which has a population of about 23 people, train service was suspended as part of a newly built overground line in Taipei city was cut off.
Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency said the quake had a magnitude of 7.2, but the U.S. Geological Survey said it had a magnitude of 7.4. The quake occurred about 18 kilometers (11.1 miles) south-southwest of Hualien and reached a depth of about 35 kilometers (21 miles). There were also aftershocks, with the USGS noting that it was followed by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake at a depth of 11.8 kilometers (7 miles).
The last time Hualien was hit by an earthquake was in 2018, when a historic hotel and other buildings collapsed. On September 21, 1999, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Taiwan, killing at least 2,400 people, injuring 100,000, and destroying thousands of buildings.
Image credit: ©Getty Images/Steve Colender
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributor to Christian Headlines and host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast dedicated to sound doctrine and Biblical truth. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary.
