Earthquake rescuers in Taiwan are facing threats of further landslides and rockfalls as the search for the 12 people still missing continued on Friday. This is as the death toll rose to 12.
Searchers had found two more bodies after Wednesday’s 7.2 magnitude quake struck the sparsely populated and mostly rural eastern county of Hualien, stranding hundreds of people in a national park as boulders barrelled down mountains, cutting off the roads nearby.
About 50 aftershocks disturbed the area overnight, some felt as far away as Taipei.
Rescuers had said that about 400 people who were cut off in a luxury hotel in the Taroko Gorge national park were safe. Presently, helicopters were ferrying out the injured and bringing supplies.
Taiwan’s fire department had stated that two bodies were found in the mountains, but the identities have to be confirmed before updating the death toll.
Aid supplies are still arriving at the scene, while senior politicians like President Tsai Ing-wen had announced that they were donating a month’s salary to relief efforts.
Meanwhile, Japan’s foreign minister, Yoko Kamikawa, had announced that the country will provide $1 million in aid to Taiwan for rescue and recovery effort.
