Over 60 Miners Still Trapped After Taiwan's Biggest Earthquake in 25 Years
Six miners were rescued Thursday morning after being stranded due to Taiwan's most powerful earthquake in a quarter-century, while 64 of their coworkers still await assistance.
Following nearly 24 hours of being trapped, the miners, who were working in a quarry in eastern Taiwan's Hualien County, were rescued in groups of three via helicopter, as reported by local media.
Hualien was at the epicenter of the 7.2 magnitude quake that struck just before 8 a.m. on Wednesday, claiming nine lives and injuring at least 1,050 individuals.
The earthquake left dozens of people trapped in partially collapsed buildings in Hualien City. Additionally, landslides resulting from the quake stranded numerous individuals in highway tunnels and various locations in the mountainous Taroko National Park.
As per Taiwan's National Fire Agency, more than 100 individuals remain trapped, including the 64 workers in Heping Mine and seven others in the Zhonghe Mine Heren Mining area.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and Premier Chen Chien-jen visited the national disaster response center on Wednesday, receiving briefings on ongoing rescue efforts. Tsai directed central government ministries to collaborate with local authorities and provide essential aid, as per a press release from the presidential office.
After the successful rescue of the six miners on Thursday, authorities announced plans to airdrop supplies at the Heren Mine using helicopters.
Local media reported that three individuals lost their lives due to falling boulders while hiking in Taroko National Park. Additionally, road crews discovered another fatality inside a jeep crushed by a falling boulder.
One of the deceased was a 33-year-old teacher who had escaped from an eight-story building in Hualien City during the initial quake. Neighbors recounted that she had returned to rescue her cat but became trapped in the stairwell between the first and second floors when the building collapsed. Firefighters recovered her body about 12 hours later.
Thursday's earthquake was the most powerful on the island since the "921 quake" on September 21, 1999, which was a 7.6 magnitude event that resulted in 2,415 deaths, over 11,300 injuries, and extensive damage to tens of thousands of structures.
Numerous aftershocks continued to occur across the island following the quake. While aftershocks tend to decrease in frequency over time, they can persist for days or even months after the initial seismic event.
"The hazard is not over in Taiwan," warned U.S. Geological Survey geologist Kate Allstadt on Wednesday. "Rain is forecasted for Friday, which along with ongoing aftershocks, could trigger additional landslides along the already weakened slopes."
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