HUALIEN – Rescuers in Taiwan faced the threat of further landslides and rockfalls in their search on April 5 for a dozen people still missing from this week’s earthquake, as the death toll rose to 12 and some of the stranded were brought to safety.
Searchers discovered two more bodies after April 3’s 7.4-magnitude quake struck the sparsely populated, largely rural eastern county of Hualien, stranding hundreds in a national park as boulders barrelled down mountains, cutting off roads.
As about 50 aftershocks rattled the area overnight, some felt as far away as Taipei, rescuers said around 400 people cut off in a luxury hotel in the Taroko Gorge National Park were safe, with helicopters ferrying out the injured and bringing supplies.
“Rain increases the risks of rockfalls and landslides, which are currently the biggest challenges,” said search team leader Su Yu-ming, whose team is helping in the rescue effort.
“These factors are unpredictable, which means we cannot confirm the number of days required for the search and rescue operations.”
Taiwan’s fire department said two bodies were found in the mountains, but wanted to confirm their identities before updating the death toll.
It put the number of missing at 13, three of them from Australia and Canada.
Aid supplies are arriving at the scene, while senior politicians such as President Tsai Ing-wen said they were donating a month’s salary to relief efforts.
Japan will provide US$1 million (S$1.35 million) in aid to Taiwan for rescue and recovery efforts, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said.
A group of 50 workers who were on their way to the hotel and had been trapped on roads are now mostly safe.
“I am lucky to survive this disaster. We were terrified, especially when the earthquake first happened, we thought it was all over... because it was an earthquake, right?” said Mr David Chen, 63, a security manager at the hotel, after he was rescued on April 4.
“As we were leaving, rocks were still falling. We had to navigate through the gaps between the falling rocks, with the search and rescue team upfront,” he added.
Mr Chen’s 85-year-old mother expressed her relief with tears streaming down her face as they were reunited. For some time, the family did not know if Mr Chen had survived the disaster.
“I was happy to see him. I was happy when he returned. I didn’t sleep at all last night and couldn’t eat anything,” his mother Chen Lan-chih said.
The quake came a day before Taiwan began a long-weekend holiday for the traditional tomb sweeping festival, when people head for their home towns to spruce up ancestral graves.
Many others visit tourist spots, like Hualien, famed for its rugged beauty, but the earthquake has crushed business, with many bookings cancelled, some businesses said.
“This is a disaster... for us because no matter (whether it’s a) hotel, hostel, restaurants... (everything) really depends on tourism,” said hostel owner Aga Syu, adding that her main concern was the well-being of guests.
“I hope this won’t destroy their image of Hualien.”
Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes. More than 100 people were killed in a 2016 quake in its south, while a 7.3-magnitude quake killed more than 2,000 in 1999. REUTERS
