Taiwan earthquake was the strongest on the island in 25 years

The 7.4 magnitude earthquake that hit Taiwan on Tuesday (April 2, 2024) was the strongest recorded on the island in 25 years. Until this Wednesday morning (April 3), the tremor left 9 dead, 800 people injured and 50 missing.

According to the USGS (United States Geological Survey, translated into Portuguese), the epicenter was 18 km from the city of Hualien, in the east of the island. At least 10 aftershocks with magnitudes above 5.0 were felt in the following hours.

The earthquake was the largest to hit the island since 1999. At the time, a 7.6 magnitude tremor killed around 2,500 people, according to the newspaper The New York Times.

Since then, Taiwan has improved its earthquake warning system and evolved its response measures to tremors. Authorities created a search and rescue team and opened several emergency medical operations centers, among other measures.

The earthquake on Tuesday (April 2) caused more than 20 buildings to collapse. According to local authorities, rescue teams are working to reach a hundred people who are trapped among the rubble.

The 50 missing people were in 4 minibuses heading towards a national park. There is still no confirmation on the nationalities of the missing.

Watch the video showing the damage in Taiwan (2min43s):

O Power360 prepared an infographic that shows the place where the earthquake occurred.