nine dead and hundreds injured

The entire Taiwanese television studio begins to shake. In the middle of the chaos, the presenter continues to speak at all costs. On the road, the roadway deforms, vehicles start to sway. In the metro, passengers are forced to crouch to avoid falling. Taiwan experienced its worst earthquake in 25 years. The city of Hualien, located in the east of the country, was particularly affected. A building, sagging into the ground, miraculously holds together. Since then, rescuers have been trying to find residents who may have been trapped.

Taiwan is extremely earthquake-prone

In shock, the residents themselves evacuate a child from a building. “We could actually see the building moving. We couldn’t get out, we were stuck”says a Frenchman living in Taiwan, who evokes a situation “terrifying“. Taiwan is extremely prone to earthquakes because it sits at the crossroads of three colliding tectonic plates. The massive earthquake mitigation seems to have averted an even more serious disaster. Several victims have died in rockslides or landslides.