Taiwan quake toll low, but aftershocks a risk as rescue effort continues

SEOUL, South Korea — Taiwan’s search, rescue and recovery operations were in full swing one day after a massive earthquake shook the island early Wednesday morning.

Despite the severity of the quake, authorities say so far just 10 people have been confirmed to have died island-wide, most from falling debris, with a reported 1,067 persons injured by the magnitude 7.2 quake. Over 40 persons remain missing, and some 700 persons are safe but stranded in the island’s mountainous Taroko Gorge National Park.

Drones are being deployed in the rugged terrain, where roads are blocked by rockfalls, bridges are destroyed and tunnels have collapsed, to search for survivors. Six miners were rescued by helicopter from a rubble-strewn quarry. The United States, Japan and the United Kingdom are among the countries that have offered support to Taipei.

As condolences poured in from world leaders — a rare flood of messaging for an island lacking official diplomatic relations with most countries — the island’s globally critical semiconductor sector appeared to be relatively unscathed.

The disaster, however, generated a new flare-up of anger between Beijing, which has offered assistance, and Taipei, which accused the Communist mainland regime of double standards.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s government activated the Central Emergency Operation Center on Wednesday hours after the quake hit, mobilizing troops to assist with relief work.

Interior Minister Lin Yu-chang, warning of possible aftershocks, offered public advice in the event of further tremblors: “Get down, take cover and hold on to something sturdy,” the Taipei Times reported.

According to the Seismological Center of Taiwan’s meteorological office, aftershocks with a magnitude of 6 or 7 are possible over the next three days, the Chinese-language Central News Agency reported.

Officials expressed relief that the number of fatalities was low compared to the 2,400 who died in a calamitous 1999 quake, praising construction protocols and the work of emergency response teams. However, there was some criticism over the fact that authorities declined to issue a public earthquake alert as they had not anticipated such a massive quake.

The most significant damage was reported in the east coast city of Hualien and its surroundings, which were closest to the quake’s epicenter.

Taiwan News reported that the central government has approved immediate emergency relief funds of $9.37 million to assist the city and the region. Premier Chen Chien-jen, who visited the city, said the water supply should be restored by Friday, but did not say when power would come back on.

Replacement bus and train services are being established, but sections of the main highway that links Hualien to the capital, Taipei, remain blocked by rock falls. Ships have been sent to assist the port city.

Footage showed buildings leaning at crazy angles. Residents were seen searching through damaged areas, while construction equipment was used to stabilize damaged buildings.

As well as being a flashpoint for confrontation between China and the U.S., Taiwan has global commercial import due to its centrality to global supply chains and its position as a global tech leader. The island’s computer chipmakers are among the world’s most advanced, which raised immediate fears that the quake could generate economic aftershocks far beyond Taiwan.

The island’s major chipmaking hub, Hsinchu is approximately 60 miles northwest of Hualian. After a brief evacuation and automatic shutdown, Taiwan’s flagship firm, TSMC, restarted operations, with its manufacturing sites, known as fabs, attaining between 70% and 80% percent of tool operation within 10 hours of the earthquake.

Even so, Reuters reported that the earthquake could cause a “short-term hiccup” in the global supply chain and possibly a rise in chip prices.

While world leaders, including Pope Francis and President of the European Council Charles Michel, sent statements of condolences, a squabble erupted between China, which claims Taiwan as part of its sovereign territory, and the democratically governed island. China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations on Thursday sparked anger in Taipei by thanking other nations for their support for what he called “China’s Taiwan.”

For its part, the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry’s X account expressed some undiplomatic anger toward offers of assistance from Beijing.

Accusing China of “saying one thing and doing the opposite,” the ministry said in its post. “Am I supposed to be choked and speechless?” The comment included a map showing the locations of three Chinese military aircraft and seven naval vessels around the island early Thursday morning.