Horror vids show moment Taiwan quake strikes emptying pools & toppling buildings as 70 miners are trapped and 9 killed

7 months ago 7

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BOOKS fell from shelves, waves crashed in pools, and lights swung from ceilings in TV studios as Taiwan was rocked by a massive quake.

Dramatic footage captured the terrifying moment the deadly 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit the East Asian country this morning.

A building balances precariously at an odd angle in the eastern city of Hualien[/caption]

A reporter desperately tries to keep her balance as her studio shakes[/caption]

At least nine people were killed and more than 1,000 people were injured after the powerful earthquake – Taiwan‘s biggest in 25 years – shook the earth just before 8am local time (1am UK time) today.

Video showed books and belongings fly from shelves in a home office as the quake struck.

In another clip, hanging lights swung from the ceiling in a TV station as a reporter leaned against a green screen for support.

A man was seen being thrown about by waves in a swimming pool as water poured from the sides of apartment blocks.

Buildings balanced precariously at odd angles, and cars and street light poles rocked from side to side on bridges, as rocks tumbled from mountains to villages below, coating them in dust.

The earthquake – the epicentre of which was 11 miles southwest of Hualien, and about 22 miles deep – and aftershocks caused 24 landslides and damage to 35 roads, bridges, and tunnels.

Some 130 people are trapped in collapsed buildings, including 50 hotel staff members who were travelling in minibuses, with another 70 stuck in a mining area in northern central Taiwan’s Heping district.

Six more miners are stranded in a mining area in the Zhonghe district southwest of the capital Taipei, according to the country’s National Fire Agency (NFA).

Another 11 people are trapped on the Taiwan provincial highway.

Three hikers died in rockslides in Taroko National Park and a van driver died in the same area after boulders hit their vehicle.

In some good news, the 77 people who were trapped underground in the Dachingshui and Jinwen tunnels in Hualien County have been rescued.

More than 87,000 homes in Taiwan were left without power following the quake, according to the country’s electricity supplier, and train services were suspended.

Students were equipped with yellow safety helmets and ushered out of their schools to open sports fields, with some using textbooks to shield themselves from falling objects.

Authorities are said to be looking into how aid can be provided to the people of Hualien – and why some residents were not warned of the quake in advance.

Emily Feng, a correspondent with National Public Radio in Taiwan, told Sky News: “Some people got texts telling them the earthquake was coming. The majority of people, including myself, did not.

“Authorities are trying to figure out why that malfunctioned.”

Some people got texts telling them the earthquake was coming. The majority of people, including myself, did not

Emily Fengreporter in Taiwan

A small tsunami followed the earthquake, affecting some coastal areas of Japan, but warnings were later lifted.

Japan’s meteorological agency described the earthquake as being very shallow – which can cause more damage than other quakes – and told people to stay “vigilant” as there may be more aftershocks.

Today’s earthquake is the largest to affect Taiwan in 25 years.

In 1999, a quake with the same magnitude of 7.7 struck the country, causing 2,400 deaths, injuring some 100,000 people, and destroying thousands of buildings.

Taiwan is located in the world’s most seismically active zone, known as the Ring of Fire.