Taiwan: Authorities continue emergency response to aftermath of magnitude-7.4 earthquake in Hualien County at 07:58 April 3 /update 5

Officials are continuing the emergency response in the aftermath of a severe magnitude-7.4 earthquake that occurred in Hualien County at around 07:58 April 3. Authorities have confirmed at least ten fatalities and over 1,067 others injured. At least 93 people are feared trapped in tunnels and other structures. The earthquake has also damaged over 125 buildings; 28 buildings have collapsed, with more than half of them in Hualien County.

Emergency repair works have partially or fully reopened most traffic previously impacted by earthquake damage and landslides, such as the Central Cross-Island Highway, with exceptions such as the Provincial Highway 8 from Dayuling to Taroko. Train systems across Taiwan were temporarily suspended to check for damage but have since resumed normal operations. All services on the main Taipei Metro will be fully operational from March 8, although the Zhonghe Station to Banqiao Station section of the circular line in the Taipei suburbs is indefinitely suspended until the damage between Zhongyuan Station to Banxin Station can be repaired. Railway services have mostly returned to normal operations after restoring the Yilan-Hualien railway line, although Chongde Station remains closed until further notice. Authorities are offering additional ferry, flight, and rail services, especially in Eastern Taiwan, as works to repair damaged transport infrastructure continue.

Offices and schools across Hualien County and six schools in Taipei have been suspended. Most utilities have been restored, although restoration will likely be delayed due to transport disruptions, especially in remote areas. A total of 354,534 households lost power following the earthquake; most power has since been restored. Over 120,000 households experienced water outage; officials are deploying water tankers to affected areas and plan to restore full water supply by April 4. Intermittent internet and telecommunication outages due to power disruptions could reoccur.

Authorities in Japan issued precautionary evacuations for coastal and low-lying areas of Okinawa Prefecture; residents have since been allowed to return home. Flight operations across Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, including Naha Airport (OKA), resumed the afternoon of April 3 after being temporarily suspended as a precaution due to the tsunami warning. The Okinawa Expressway is closed between Kyoda and Naha interchanges. Ferries in Okinawa Prefecture are suspended, including routes connecting the Ishigaki, Kerama, Kume, and Daito islands.

The epicenter was 18 km (11 miles) south-southwest of Hualien City, Taiwan. The tremor occurred at a depth of about 35 km (22 miles). Authorities have rescinded the tsunami warning as the tsunami threat has passed; tsunami waves of 1 meter (3.3 feet) were observed in Hualien, 0.4 meters (1.5 feet) in Chengong, and 0.2 meters (0.7 feet) in Longdong. Tsunami waves of 30 cm (12 inches) were observed on Yonaguni Island and 16 cm (6 inches) on Ishigaki Island.

At least 18 other aftershocks of above magnitude-5.0 have occurred, including a magnitude-6.5 aftershock that occurred at 08:11 April 3, followed by a magnitude-6.2 aftershock at 10:14 April 3. Numerous other weaker aftershocks have also occurred. Further strong aftershocks are likely over the coming days and could cause additional damage. Cellular networks may be overwhelmed following the earthquake.