Taipei [Taiwan], April 5: A day after Taiwan's worst earthquake in 25 years, authorities raised the death toll to 10 and number of injured to more than 1,060, adding that dozens who went missing after the quake have been found and brought to safety.
The search for the missing and rescue operations for trapped people continues, they said. On Thursday, the fire service said it had brought 70 miners who had been trapped for hours in two quarries to safety. A group of six workers were flown out of the area by helicopter.
Interior Minister Lin Yu-chang said later in the day that rescue workers have brought another 44 previously missing people to safety.
In a report by the country's semi-governmental news agency CNA, he said the rescued had been trapped in two tunnels. Among them were 35 employees of a luxury hotel in Taroko National Park. They had been surprised by the quake on their way to work in minibuses on Wednesday morning.
The eastern Taiwanese county of Hualien, where the park is located, was particularly hard hit by the quake.People had taken refuge in the tunnel to protect themselves from falling rocks, according to reports. One bus passenger suffered two broken bones when a rock struck the vehicle.
The report said that the authorities found another nine people in a cave. According to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the authorities have so far brought around 70 foreigners to safety after the earthquake. Authorities have not yet been able to establish contact with three missing people from Canada and Australia.
The quake struck Taiwan on Wednesday morning during rush hour and was felt across the entire island, which has a population of more than 23 million.
Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA) said the 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck at 7:58 am on Wednesday (2358 GMT Tuesday) at a depth of 15.5 kilometres. The epicentre was a few kilometres off the east coast near the city of Hualien.
Rescue and clean-up work was continuing on Thursday.
Taiwan Premier Chen Chien-jen has declared the county around Hualien as a disaster area.
The Ministry of Defence and the fire brigade intend to search the area with reconnaissance drones for the missing and people in distress.
Source: Qatar Tribune