Death toll rises to seven
The Taiwanese government has now said the death toll has risen to seven. We will update with more details as we get them.
Key events
Justin McCurry report the latest from Osaka, Chi Hui Lin in Miaoli, and Jan Camenzind Broomby in Kaohsiung:
Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 years has killed seven and injured at least 700, causing building collapses, power outages and landslides on the island, and sparking initial tsunami warnings in southern Japan and the Philippines.
The quake, given a magnitude of 7.2 by Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency and 7.4 by the US, struck close to the popular tourist city of Hualien, on Taiwan’s eastern coast, damaging buildings and trapping people amid aftershocks following the quake, which started at 7.58am.
Taiwan earthquake live updates: seven killed, more than 700 injured and dozens still trapped after strongest quake in 25 years
Videos on social media showed children being rescued from collapsed residential buildings. One five-storey building in Hualien appeared heavily damaged, its first floor collapsed and the bulk of the building leaning at a 45-degree angle.
Taiwan’s Centre for Science and Technology (CST) said people and vehicles were trapped in the Dachingshui tunnel. Train lines were also damaged, and schools and workplaces were closed across large areas of the city.
Witnesses in Hualien described driving while rocks dislodged from nearby mountains fell down around them, while others rushed outside after feeling the strength of the tremors.
Read the full story here.
Here are some of the latest images from the news wires showing the aftermath of the earthquake in Taiwan.
Seven dead, hundreds injured and dozens of buildings damaged in most powerful Taiwan quake in 25 years.
Strict building regulations and widespread public disaster awareness appear to have staved off a major catastrophe for the island, AFP reports.
Our picture editors have put together a gallery showing dramatic scenes as the quake hit and the devastating aftermath.
Death toll rises to seven
The Taiwanese government has now said the death toll has risen to seven. We will update with more details as we get them.
Taiwan’s government said on early afternoon Wednesday local time that 711 people had been injured in the earthquake and that 77 people were trapped.
It added that the death toll remained at four.
More of the latest images from areas near the capital and also in Hualien, which is close to the epicentre:
Japan’s prime minister Fumio Kishida says the country stands ready to provide any assistance necessary to Taiwan after the massive earthquake.
Kishida posted on his official account on X that he was deeply saddened to hear about the earthquake and referred to Taiwan as Japan’s “neighbour across the sea”
台湾の皆さんへ
この度、台湾東部において大きな地震が発生し、大きな被害が出ているとの報に接し、大変心を痛めています。被害に遭われた方々に対し、心からお見舞い申し上げます。
東日本大震災、また先日の能登半島地震の際にも、大切な友人である台湾の皆様から本当に心温まる支援を頂いたことに、 pic.twitter.com/tM08IHXmDV— 岸田文雄 (@kishida230) April 3, 2024
A spokesperson from TSMC, the country’s computer chip maker, says that some staff are returning to their workplaces after this morning’s earthquake:
TSMC’s safety systems are operating normally. Preventive measures were initiated according to procedure and some fabs were evacuated. All personnel are safe, and those evacuated are beginning to return to their workplaces.
The company is currently confirming the details of the impact. Initial inspections show that construction sites are normal.
However, the Company has decided to suspend work at construction sites for today, and work will resume following further inspections.
Emergency workers are searching collapsed buildings and rescuing trapped residents:
Summary of events so far
It’s 12:43pm in Taipei and Hualien, and we are now pausing this blog.
But first, here is a summary of what we know so far:
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At least four people are now reported to have been killed in Taiwan’s earthquake. The national fire agency said they died in Hualien County. Hualien was near the epicenter of the quake.
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Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 years struck the island’s eastern coast at 7:58am local time on Wednesday, causing buildings to collapse and triggering landslides.
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The earthquake also prompted tsunami warnings on the island as well as southern Japan and northern Philippines – though both Japan and the Philippines have since lifted their warnings.
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The quake’s epicentre was located 25km southeast of the city of Hualien, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration.
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Japan’s meteorological agency gave a magnitude of 7.7, while Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency registered 7.2.
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A fire department official in Hualien county said that “two buildings had collapsed and some people are believed to be trapped”.
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In a televised national briefing, Taiwan’s National Fire Agency said 26 buildings were reported “to tilt or collapse”, though it gave no details on the location of the structures.
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Earlier, Taiwan’s fire department said more than 50 were injured, while local media reported residents were trapped inside collapsed buildings in the city of Hualien.
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Taiwan’s electricity operator – Taipower- has said more than 87,000 people across the country are now without power.
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Train lines were damaged, and schools and workplaces were closed across large areas of Hualien. Across Taiwan, more than 87,000 households were without power.
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Violent shaking was felt in the capital Taipei, with aftershocks continuing throughout the day. The city’s subway service was briefly suspended, and some offices and schools said they would send staff home for the day.
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TSMC, Taiwan’s leading manufacturer of advance chips, responsible for the production of most of the world’s advanced semiconductors, also evacuated its production lines.
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Japan’s Meterological Agency warned of aftershocks of similar intensity to those felt in Taiwan may be likely over the next week.
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Global internet monitor Netblocks has said that internet outages were being registered in parts of Taiwan after the quake.
With Rebecca Ratcliffe