Taiwan earthquake – latest news: Dozens trapped in tunnels as nine dead and more than 800 injured
Dozens are understood to be trapped in highway tunnels after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan’s east coast, which has seen nine people confirmed and more than 800 injured.
Tremors set off at least nine landslides and debris collapsed hillsides onto Suhua Highway in Hualien, which runs down the east coast.
According to Taiwan’s National Fire Agency (NFA), people are trapped in two road tunnels along the Suhua Highway- one of the most dangerous roads in Taiwan, straddling between the mountainside and ocean.
Rescue teams are working to get to those trapped, with CNN reporting that 75 people who were stranded in various tunnels had been rescued in the morning.
The earthquake – the strongest in 25 years in Taiwan – set off tsunami warnings on the island and across neighbouring countries, seismology officials said.
More than 77 people remain trapped under the rubble after the quake caused widespread damage and power outages across the country.
The epicentre of the earthquake, which struck at 7.58am local time, was located about 18km south of Taiwan’s Hualien city, said the US Geological Survey. The USGS measured the earthquake at magnitude 7.4, though Taiwan’s own monitoring agency put it at 7.2.
