7.4 Magnitude Earthquake in Taiwan

On April 3, Taipei, Taiwan was struck by a massive 7.4 earthquake, leaving the city in utter distress and people in shock. According to CNN, the quake could be felt from Hong Kong and Shanghai— less than 900 kilometers away. Over 1,000 people were injured, and the death toll has risen to 16, with a missing Singaporean couple yet to be discovered (CNA).  Most fatalities occurred due to landslides or falling rocks resulting from the tremor (CNN). 

This marked Taiwan’s strongest earthquake since their 7.7 magnitude quake in 1999, referred to as the Chi-Chi earthquake. That tremor left 10,000 injured, with a death toll of approximately 2,400. 

A recurring picture in many reports shows a collapsed 10 story building, located in the east coast city of Hualien. This represented just one of the many buildings that were inevitably destroyed by the quake (BBC).