Taiwan Earthquake Rescuers Face Threat of Landslides, Rockfalls; Death Toll at 12
Editor
5 April 2024 18:00 WIB
HOTEL WORKERS FOUND
A group of 50 hotel workers marooned on a road to the national park are now mostly safe.
"I am lucky to survive," said David Chen, 63, a security manager at the hotel, after his rescue. "We were terrified when the earthquake first happened. We thought it was all over, all over, all over, because it was an earthquake, right?"
Rocks were still tumbling down nearby slopes as the group left, he added. "We had to navigate through the gaps between the falling rocks, with the rescue team out front."
Chen's 85-year-old mother wept in relief at being reunited with her son, as the family had not known for some time if he had survived.
"I was happy when he returned," said the mother, Chen Lan-chih. "I didn't sleep at all last night and couldn't eat anything."
The quake came a day before Taiwan began a long weekend holiday for the traditional tomb-sweeping festival when people head to their homes to spruce up ancestral graves.
Many others visit tourist spots, like Hualien, famed for its rugged beauty, but the earthquake has crushed business, with many bookings canceled, some businesses said.
"This is a disaster actually for us because no matter (whether) hotel, hostel, restaurants (everything) really depends on tourism," said hostel owner Aga Syu, adding that her main concern was the well-being of guests.
"I hope this won't destroy their image of Hualien."
Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes. More than 100 people were killed in a 2016 quake in its south, while one of magnitude 7.3 killed more than 2,000 in 1999.
REUTERS
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