Taiwan Earthquake Death Toll Increases To 9 People, Hundreds Of People Still Trapped In Ruins

ILLUSTRATION BETWEEN

JAKARTA - The 7.4 magnitude earthquake that hit Taiwan killed nine people and injured 821 others, according to local media reports citing the local fire service.

The quake on Wednesday, April 3 was the strongest earthquake to shake the island in 25 years, said Wu Chien-fu, Director of the Center for Seismology at Taiwan's Central Weather Agency.

Nine people were recorded dead, 821 people were injured and at least 127 people were trapped in the rubble.

At least eight Taiwanese Air Force F-16 fighter jets at the Hualien County base suffered minor damage and the walls collapsed, according to a China Times report.

The main equipment of the fighter jets was not damaged and repairs had been made so that the fighter readiness of the planes had fully recovered, the newspaper reported.

About 1,000 people are likely still stuck in the mountains of Taroko National Park and rescue teams continue to make contact with climbers, according to a report by Taiwanese news agency CNA.

As reported by ANTARA from Sputnik, 654 people spent the night in the park on Tuesday, while another 680 climbers registered will visit the site on Wednesday, according to the report.

Meanwhile, two German citizens were trapped in the Chongde Tunnel in Taroko National Park, Bild daily reported.