Worst earthquake since 1999 hits Taiwan

Taiwan was hit by the worst earthquake that the country has experienced in 25 years. Several media outlets reported that on April 3, around 8 am local time, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake occurred in the eastern county of Hualien, just as people were setting off for work and school.

The BBC highlights that the county of Hualian is a sparsely populated mountainous region. So far, nine individuals have been reported dead, over 900 injured, and 50 are missing.

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Of those who perished due to the earthquake, five individuals died due to falling rocks. Three were hikers who were enjoying a hike in the mountains when the quake struck the region.

BBC reported that at least 120 people were trapped or stranded, many in tunnels. However, the fire department authorities told Reuters that they had been slowly evacuating those trapped.

President-elect Lai Ching-te spoke to the press in front of the crumpled buildings in Hualien and said, "At present, the most important thing, the top priority, is to rescue people."

Taiwan's National Fire Agency told the media that over 100 buildings have been damaged. The worst of the damage occured at the epicenter of the earthquake in Hualien county.

According to Taiwan's Central Emergency Command Center, nearly 100,000 homes lost electricity due to the earthquake; fortunately, it has since been restored to the majority of households.

According to Reuters, the earthquake hit at a depth of 15.5km (9.6 miles), which resulted in tsunami warnings for southern Japan and the Philippines, fortunately, not long after the tsunami warning was lifted.

According to CNN, Taiwan weather officials ranked the April 3 earthquake in Hualien as "Upper 6", or the second-highest level of intensity on a scale ranging from 1 to 7.