Taiwan earthquake: Strong aftershocks shake the island as the number of injured rises to more than 1,000 – the latest

Rescuers searched for dozens of people who had lost contact Thursday, a day after the strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in a quarter-century, destroying buildings, causing multiple rockslides and killing nine people.

In the eastern coastal city of Hualien, near the epicenter, workers used an excavator to place construction materials around the base of the damaged building to stabilize it and prevent its collapse.

City Mayor Hsu Chen-wei said earlier that 48 residential buildings were damaged. Some of the damaged buildings leaned at unstable angles and their ground floors were destroyed.

More than a thousand people were injured in the earthquake that struck on Wednesday morning. Of the nine dead, at least four were injured inside Taroko National Park, a tourist attraction known for its ravine and cliff scenes in Hualien County, about 150 kilometers from the island's capital Taipei.

Many Hualien residents spent Wednesday night in tents or emergency shelters due to a series of about 50 aftershocks that continued to shake the island in the wake of a powerful earthquake.

A 52-year-old Hualien resident, who gave her last name as Yu, told Reuters: “I am afraid of aftershocks, and I do not know how strong the tremor will be.”

“The aftershocks were terrifying. They are non-stop. I don't dare sleep at home,” she said.

More than 50 aftershocks since Wednesday morning have forced many people in Taiwan to sleep in tents outside their homes or in emergency shelters.

The Taiwan Meteorological Agency warned citizens to prepare for more aftershocks, ranging in strength from 6.5 to 7 degrees, during the next three days.

A 52-year-old Hualien resident, who gave her last name as Yu, told Reuters: “I am afraid of aftershocks, and I do not know how strong the tremor will be.”

Hualien City Mayor Hsu Chen-wei said that all residents and businesses in buildings that were in serious condition had been evacuated, and demolition work was underway in four buildings.

The European Mediterranean Seismological Center said that a 6-magnitude earthquake occurred off the eastern coast of Honshu Island, Japan, on Thursday.

The quake was recorded at a depth of 32 kilometers, just one day after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan, triggering tsunami warnings for Japan.

A Taipei resident said she was sleeping in her fifth-floor apartment when she was awakened by the violent shaking caused by the earthquake.

“Earthquakes are common, and I've gotten used to them. But today was the first time I was afraid to cry because of an earthquake,” Hsin Hswen Keng said.

“The earthquake woke me up. I've never felt such intense shaking before,” she said.

She said she witnessed such a strong earthquake for the first time in her life, “except for earthquake drills in elementary school.”

Lin Jong, 36, who runs a sports shoe store in Hualien, recounted that he was at home, preparing to take his 16-month-old child to a medical appointment when the quake struck.

At first, he experienced what seemed like minor tremors, and described how the seismic activity quickly escalated into intense shaking.

The glass cover of the ceiling lamp fell and broke, prompting him to prioritize protecting his child from harm amidst the chaos.

“All I can do is protect my child.”

On Wednesday, Taiwan detected 30 Chinese aircraft and nine ships around the island when it was struck by the strongest earthquake in more than two decades.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said at least 20 aircraft entered Taiwan's northern, central and southwestern air defense identification zone.

“The Republic of China Armed Forces monitored the situation and used CAP aircraft, Navy ships and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities,” it said.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office said it was deeply concerned about the earthquake that struck the island and was ready to provide disaster relief aid, Chinese state media reported on Wednesday.

“Relevant parties on the mainland are deeply concerned and express their sincere condolences to their compatriots in Taiwan affected by the disaster,” said Chinese Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Zhu Fenglian.

However, offers of assistance are unlikely to be accepted, given the tense relations between the island and the mainland.

China and Taiwan remain locked in a long-running territorial dispute with Beijing claiming the island as its own despite not controlling the self-governing democratic island.

Wu Xinfu, head of Taiwan's Earthquake Monitoring Bureau, said the effects of the quake were felt on mainland China and as far away as Taiwan-controlled islands off the coast of China.

More than 50 people are still missing in Taiwan, a day after the island was hit by a powerful 7.24-magnitude earthquake.

The Taiwan Fire Department said that the number of injured reached 1,038, bringing the total number of missing to 52.

About a dozen hotel workers on their way to a resort in Taroko National Park have been located, and 38 of them are still missing.

The fire department said rescue work focused on people trapped on the Trans-Island Highway, which passes through the strait that connects the city of Hualien to the western coast of Taiwan, and is a popular tourist destination.

Authorities are using drones and helicopters to search for people in the valley and will drop supplies to them when they are found.