On Wednesday morning, a devastating earthquake hit the east coast of Taiwan, leaving at least nine people dead and over 900 injured. The magnitude 7.2 quake was the strongest in 25 years and caused buildings to collapse, power outages, landslides and triggered tsunami warnings in southern Japan and the Philippines.
The earthquake struck southwest of Hualien City at 7:58 a.m. local time and was followed by powerful aftershocks that rocked the island. Despite the severity of the earthquake, Taiwan’s buildings are designed to withstand strong tremors and its population is well-prepared for such disasters.
Taiwan’s location along the Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire” makes it prone to frequent earthquakes due to the interaction of various tectonic plates. The Philippine Sea plate and the Eurasian plate interact, generating reverse faults that cause one plate to rise above the other. Since 1980, over 2,000 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.0 or higher have been recorded on the island.
President Tsai Ing-wen confirmed disaster response efforts were underway as rescue workers rushed to help those trapped in tunnels and under collapsed buildings. Despite the damage caused by this disaster, Taiwan remains resilient in its efforts to prepare for future disasters due to its experience with frequent earthquakes caused by tectonic activity along its borders
