Taiwan Air Force begins flying disaster relief missions
The 6th Mixed Wing of the Air Force, and the 10th Airlift Group, have begun dispatching three batches and three sorties of C-130 aircraft to carry out disaster relief operations and carry rescuers to where they are most needed.
Taiwan’s military says six F-16 fighter jets damaged by quake
Taiwan’s air force said six F-16 fighter jets had been slightly damaged at a major base in the city from which jets are often scrambled to see off incursions by China’s air force, but it expected the aircraft to return to service very soon.
China’s coastal trains grind to a halt following Taiwan earthquake
Train services along China’s eastern coast came to a standstill following the massive Taiwan earthquake.
Passengers have been lining up outside train stations up and down the coastal Fujian province.
UK’s representative in Taiwan expresses ‘condolences and sympathies’ for people affected by quake
John Dennis, the head of the British Office in Taipei, took to X to express his sympathies with the victims of the earthquake.
Where did the earthquake strike?
Hualien County sits on the eastern side of the island, facing out towards the Phillippine Sea.
The city’s closest geographic neighbour is Japan’s Yonaguni Island.
The quake’s epicentre was18 kilometres (11 miles) south of Taiwan’s Hualien City, at a depth of 15.5 km (9.6 miles).
More than 87,000 households still without power
Taiwan’s Economic Minister Wang Mei-hua said power stations across the country were affected by the massive earthquake, and that despite the efforts from energy workers, 87,132 households still do not have power.
More than 308,000 households were affected by power outages following the quake, but as of 9:30am local time, 70% had their power back.
Electricity utility Taipower said the island’s two nuclear power stations unaffected.
Details about seven people killed in earthquake emerge
Officials from Taiwan’s Central Emergency Operation Centre said at a press conference that three hikers were killed by falling rocks while walking on the Dekalun Trail near Hualien.
Meanwhile, a truck driver and another person in a private car died from falling debris in the nearby Huide Tunnel.
A person died at a quarry owned by Taiwan’s national cement company, and a construction worker died on a nearby highway.
Terrifying footage from a damaging 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Taiwan shows commuters being rocked on trains and shaken on bridges.
Rescuers expect the total number of injured and killed to rise as the hunt for people trapped by the quake continues.
Dramatic video taken during the quake showed commuters on a Taipei metro train being flung around a carriage by the force of the ground movement.
Watch: Moment earthquake in Taiwan capital city Taipei makes building move
Taiwan says aftershocks of up to 7-magnitude may occur over coming days
Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) said that aftershocks between 6.5 and 7-magnitude may occur over the next few days.
Today’s 7.4-magnitude quake was most likely the main one, the CWA’s Wu Chien-fu said at a press conference.
Taiwan president ‘deeply grateful’ for work of emergency services
Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen took to X to express her thanks to emergency services for their work in helping citizens on the island.
More than 70 trapped in tunnels and under buildings following quake
Authorities said that 77 people are confirmed to be trapped in tunnels and underneath buildings.
Most of them, roughly 60, are trapped in a tunnel just north of Hualien city, with two Germans among those trapped in another tunnel.
Taiwan earthquake is the strongest to hit the island in 25 years
Today’s 7.4-magnitude earthquake is the strongest to have hit the island in 25 years.
The last quake with a similar strength hit Taiwan in September 1999, killing around 2,400 people in the deadliest natural disaster in the island’s history.
Japan’s PM says nation is ready to assist Taiwan
Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida said his nation ‘stands ready to provide any assistance necessary to Taiwan’, following the 7.4-magnitude earthquake.
Kishida took to X to say: ‘I am deeply saddened to hear that a large earthquake has occurred in eastern Taiwan, causing extensive damage.
‘I would like to express my heartfelt sympathies to those affected. We are grateful for the heartwarming support we received from our dear friends in Taiwan during the Great East Japan Earthquake and the recent Noto Peninsula earthquake.’
Japanese children evacuated from school to higher ground following tsunami warning
Children in Japan’s Okinawa prefecture were made to leave their schools and go up to higher ground after a tsunami warning was issued.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said a tsunami wave roughly 30 centimetres tall was detected on the coast of Yonaguni island about 15 minutes after the quake struck. Smaller waves were measured on the islands of Ishigaki and Miyako.
Japan sent military aircraft to gather information about the impact around the Okinawa region, but the nation has since rescinded its tsunami warning
Images show extent of damage done to Taiwan’s infrastructure
New images have revealed how badly Taiwan’s Hualien City was hit by the magnitude-7.4 quake, which struck south of the city just before 8:00 am local time (0000 GMT).
Number of people injured rises to 736
Authorities said that 736 people have been injured in the devastation wrought by the earthquake.
All deaths happened in one county, authorities say
Taiwanese authorities said all the deaths caused by the earthquake occured in Hualien county, a mountainous part of Taiwan.
Taiwan government announces death toll rise
The government of Taiwan has announced that the death toll for the deadly earthquake has risen to seven. So far, more than 700 people have been injured by the quake, though the extent of the injuries suffered is not known.
