52 still missing in Taiwan after strong earthquake

By Anadolu staff

At least 52 people are missing in Taiwan after a magnitude-7.4 earthquake struck the island's east coast on Wednesday, killing nine people and injuring more than 1,000 others, TVBS news reported on Thursday.

The epicenter of the quake was the county of Hualien, home to around 300,000 of the 23 million people who live in Taiwan.

While rescue efforts continue, 93 people were trapped in eastern parts of Hualien. The earthquake, strongest to have hit the island nation in 25 years, caused damage to infrastructure and disturbed traffic and power supply systems in the region.

Around 2,400 people were killed in 1999 when a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan in the middle of the night.

President Tsai Ing-wen deployed the military to the affected areas, with soldiers equipped with search and rescue tools besides debris-removing excavators being involved in the efforts.

Taiwan Railway Corporation said the railway line between Yilan and Hualien counties, which was closed on Wednesday after the earthquake, had reopened.

The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. also resumed production late Wednesday after a brief suspension.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid