At least nine people are dead and hundreds are injured as Taiwan's biggest earthquake in a quarter century rocked the island during the morning rush hour.
ByChristiane Cordero reports on the deadly earthquake.Rescuers in Taiwan scrambled to free dozens of people trapped in highway tunnels after the island was struck by its strongest earthquake in 25 years Wednesday, killing at least nine and injuring hundreds of others.
Reports of extensive damage have also emerged, with collapsed buildings in Hualien County, thousands of homes left without power and a major highway closed due to landslides and rockfalls, according to Taiwanese officials. Taiwan's Central Weather Administration spokesperson warned that powerful aftershocks as high as magnitude 7 are expected to occur until the end of the week.
Taiwan's outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen said Wednesday she had ordered her administration to "immediately" get "on top of the situation and understand local impacts as soon as possible." Wednesday's quake is the strongest to hit Taiwan since 1999, according to the Central Weather Administration. That year, a 7.7 magnitude quake hit south of Taipei, killing 2,400 people and injuring 10,000 others.
More than 91,000 households are without electricity, according to Taiwan's Central Emergency Command Center. The government-operated Taipower Company is working to restore power, it added.YouTuber Prozzie says the powerful 7.4 earthquake shook his apartment in Taichung City, Taiwan every 20 minutes. Large boulders could be seen strewn across the eastern Suhua Highway, with several tunnels broken - including one split in half, TVBS footage showed. CNN affiliate SET News shows the front of a car smashed by fallen rocks.
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