The magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Taiwan on Wednesday damaged scores of buildings and a major highway in the east coast city of Hualien, knocking out power as it rocked the island.
Two high-rise buildings in Hualien, which suffered particularly extensive damage, were the focus of the rescue efforts there. Most of the damage in the city was not life-threatening, said Huang Hsuan-wan, a reporter for a local news site.
“Many roads were closed. A lot of walls fell on cars,” said Derik du Plessis, 44, a South African resident of Hualien, shortly after the earthquake. He described people rushing through the city to check on their homes and pick up their children. One of his friends lost her house, he said.
One of the damaged buildings in Hualien, a 10-story structure called the Uranus Building, which houses a mix of residences and shops, toppled and appeared to be on the verge of collapse. Many residents managed to flee, but some went missing, said Sunny Wang, a journalist from the city. Rescue workers tried to reach the basement, fearing that people were trapped there.
Photos of the initial damage in Hualien showed another building, a five-story building, leaning to one side, with crushed motorcycles visible on the ground floor. Stones had fallen from another high-rise building, causing cracks and holes in the walls.
The earthquake also caused at least nine landslides on the Suhua Highway in Hualien, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, which said part of the road had collapsed.