Rescue operations continue into the night, with more than 100 people still trapped Rescue operations continue into the night as more than 100 people remain trapped in tunnels and in collapsed buildings around Hualien county, near the epicentre of the 7.2-magnitude quake. About 70 people trapped in tunnels near Hualien city have been evacuated, Taiwan’s national fire agency said. But authorities lost contact with 50 workers aboard our minibuses heading to a hotel in the Taroko Gorge national park, it said. At least 64 people were trapped in one rock quarry, and six in another, the fire agency said. Closing summary It’s 1am in Taipei. Here’s a recap of the latest developments: At least nine people have been killed and more than 900 injured in Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 years, which caused buildings to collapse, power outages and landslides on the island. The quake, which started at 7.58am on Wednesday, struck about 18km south-southwest of Hualien, a city popular with tourists on Taiwan’s eastern coast, and was given a magnitude of 7.2 by Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency and 7.4 by the US. More than 100 people remain trapped in tunnels and in collapsed buildings. The fire agency said 64 people were trapped in one coalmine, and six in another, while rescue workers had lost contact with 50 people who were travelling in minibuses through a national park as the earthquake wiped out phone networks. Nearly 1,000 tourists and staff were stranded in mountains of Taroko national park in Hualien. Local media reported that three hikers and one driver died after rockslides in the park. In Hualien city, all residents and businesses in buildings that were in a dangerous state had been evacuated, the mayor Hsu Chen-wei said. Rescuers worked across Hualien county, looking for people who may be trapped and using excavators to stabilize damaged buildings. In the capital, Taipei, several people were rescued from a partly collapsed warehouse. Strong tremors forced the city’s subway system to close briefly, and damage was visible on some buildings in central Taipei. Aftershocks could still be felt in the capital, with more than 50 recorded, weather officials said. The quake triggered initial tsunami warnings in southern Japan and the Philippines, but forecasts were later downgraded and lifted. Japan’s meteorological agency warned that aftershocks, with a similar intensity to those felt in Taiwan, may be likely over the next week. A 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Taiwan on Wednesday was captured by the cameras in a newsroom during a live broadcast. As the quake hit, anchors on air carried on delivering the news while the studio was visibly shaken and lights swayed violently overhead. Taiwan’s president-elect and vice-president, Lai Ching-te, has thanked the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, for his support and condolences. Posting to social media, Lai wrote: Taiwan draws strength from your solidarity & friendship during this difficult time and deeply appreciates the support from the EU. Rescue operations continue into the night, with more than 100 people still trapped Rescue operations continue into the night as more than 100 people remain trapped in tunnels and in collapsed buildings around Hualien county, near the epicentre of the 7.2-magnitude quake. About 70 people trapped in tunnels near Hualien city have been evacuated, Taiwan’s national fire agency said. But authorities lost contact with 50 workers aboard our minibuses heading to a hotel in the Taroko Gorge national park, it said. At least 64 people were trapped in one rock quarry, and six in another, the fire agency said. The US is monitoring the earthquake in Taiwan and is “ready to provide any necessary assistance”, a US national security council spokesperson has said. A statement from NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson reads: We are monitoring reports of the earthquake impacting Taiwan and continue to monitor its potential impact on Japan. The United States stands ready to provide any necessary assistance. All those affected are in our prayers. One reporter in Taiwan who was heading north towards Hualien after dark on Wednesday evening local time, came across huge holes in the road caused by the earthquake from that morning. Nathaniel Taplin posted footage moments ago. Meanwhile TV channel TVBS posted a clip of rescue workers trying to clear debris in Hualien, where the earthquake hit hardest. One person caught up in the earthquake described watching a warehouse crumple like a house of cards on Wednesday and told the Agence France-Presse agency it “was like a mountain collapsed”. And that was in New Taipei City, near the capital, Taipei, almost 190 miles (300km) from the hardest hit area of Hualien in east central Taiwan. The witness, named by AFP only as Liu, watched intently as rescuers carefully picked their way through the remains of the warehouse. Propping ladders against the debris, the rescue workers managed to pluck more than 50 survivors from the destroyed building in New Taipei City. The building was about 60 years old and had housed a printing press, said Liu, who lived next door. Residents of nearby buildings appeared to be unaffected, though they felt the intense shaking from the morning quake. Many of the decorations at home fell on the floor, but people were safe. We were very lucky,” said Chang, who lives near the printing press. New Taipei City mayor Hou Yu-ih surveyed the scene with rescue workers, and told reporters that all 57 people in the building had made it out - with just one injured. Summary It has just passed 11pm in Taipei and Hualien. Here is a quick summary of some of the key events so far today: At least nine people are now reported to have been killed in Taiwan’s earthquake. At least another 900 have been injured. The earthquake struck at 7:58 am local time, about 18km south-southwest of Hualien. It was about 35 km (21 miles) deep, according to Associated Press Taiwan’s electricity operator – Taipower- has said more than 87,000 people across the country are now without power, according to the Reuters news agency. People are trapped in collapsed buildings in Taiwan’s city of Hualien according to local media and the local government has suspended schools and classes in the region. A witness has told the Reuters news agency that the earthquake was also felt in Shanghai, China. Chinese state media also reported that it was felt in Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Ningde in China’s Fujian province. At least 64 people were trapped in one rock quarry, not a coalmine as was previously reported, and six in another, the fire agency said. Authorities also lost contact with 50 people in minibuses after a powerful earthquake quake downed phone networks, Taiwan’s national fire agency said. The Philippines seismology agency has issued a tsunami warning as well after that strong Taiwan quake, with Philippine coastal areas fronting the Pacific Ocean expected to experience “high tsunami waves”, according to the Reuters news agency. The tsunami warning issued by the Philippine authorities relates to people in coastal areas of the following provinces: the Batanes Group of Islands, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte and Isabela. The Philippines’ seismology agency later cancelled its tsunami warning, saying “based on available data of our sea level monitoring stations facing the epicentral area, no significant sea level disturbances have been recorded since 07:58am up until this cancellation.” Japan’s national broadcaster has issued an evacuation order – broadcasting warnings such as “Tsunami is coming. Please evacuate immediately,” an anchor on NHK said. “Do not stop. Do not go back”. This was later downgraded to advisory as the tsunami waves that had arrived by late morning were not as high as forecast. A tsunami advisory has been issued in southern Japan after a powerful earthquake struck near Taiwan on Wednesday morning, according to Japan’s meteorological agency (JMA). This was later lifted. At least 64 people were trapped in one rock quarry, not a coalmine as was previously reported, and six in another, the fire agency said. The quake and aftershocks also caused 24 landslides and damage to 35 roads, bridges and tunnels, AP reports. Here is the latest report from our video team on the earthquake in Taiwan. Footage released by the fire department there shows emergency personnel walking through dark corridors while going door to door and calling out to residents. According to a report from Associated Press, Taiwan’s national fire agency appears to have confirmed that 70 miners are trapped in two coalmines in Hualien County after the earthquake. Sixty-four people were trapped in one coalmine, and six people were in a different mine, AP reports the agency said. More details soon … Here is a clip of CCTV footage which shows a multi-storey building collapsing on a busy street in Hualien as Taiwan was hit by its strongest earthquake in 25 years. Here are some more images sent over the news wires from Taiwan after the earthquake. Here is an updated map from our graphics team showing where Taiwan’s east coast was struck by a 7.2 magnitude quake on Wednesday morning. Nine people are known to have died and more than 900 people have been injured. The number of people injured in the earthquake has risen to at least 934. Nine die and nearly 900 injured in quake, say fire agency Taiwan’s national fire agency said nine people died in the quake and another 882 have been injured. The local United Daily News reported three hikers died in rockslides in Taroko national park and a van driver died in the same area after boulders hit the vehicle, AP reports. Authorities have lost contact with 50 people in minibuses after a powerful earthquake quake downed phone networks, Taiwan’s national fire agency said. More than 70 other people are trapped but believed to be alive, some in a coalmine. Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in a quarter-century rocked the island during the morning rush hour Wednesday, AP reports. Death toll rises to nine At least nine people are now reported to have been killed in Taiwan’s earthquake. Taiwan has felt many aftershocks throughout the day, but the scale of the seismic activity in Hualien is jaw-dropping: there have been over a hundred separate earthquakes in and around the city today, many of them over 5.0 in magnitude. As of 4 pm local time there had been no fewer than 130 listed on the government’s official website. Here are the stats from the Taiwan weather centre. Gregor Stuart Hunter in Taipei, Chi Hui Lin in Miaoli, and Jan Camenzind Broomby and Kenza Wilks in Taitung spoke to people about what they experienced in the moments after the earthquake struck: In the first moments after the huge quake hit, Lanni Hsu grabbed her dog and her family, and fled. Running down five flights of stairs, she headed outdoors to seek safety from falling objects. Hsu lives in Hualien, a busy tourist city on Taiwan’s east coast, where the 7.2 magnitude quake struck on Wednesday morning. The death toll stood at seven, with 700 injured and hundreds trapped under rubble. Three people among a group of seven on an early-morning hike through the hills that surround the city were crushed to death by boulders loosened by the earthquake, officials said. Separately, a truck driver died when his vehicle was hit by a landslide as it approached a tunnel in the area. Hualien’s people are no stranger to deadly earthquakes. Even so, this was the most frightened Hsu had ever felt, she said. Our graphics team put together this map to show the site of the earthquake, which struck the eastern city of Hualien. Justin McCurry report the latest from Osaka, Chi Hui Lin in Miaoli, and Jan Camenzind Broomby in Kaohsiung: Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 years has killed seven and injured at least 700, causing building collapses, power outages and landslides on the island, and sparking initial tsunami warnings in southern Japan and the Philippines. The quake, given a magnitude of 7.2 by Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency and 7.4 by the US, struck close to the popular tourist city of Hualien, on Taiwan’s eastern coast, damaging buildings and trapping people amid aftershocks following the quake, which started at 7.58am. Taiwan earthquake live updates: seven killed, more than 700 injured and dozens still trapped after strongest quake in 25 years Videos on social media showed children being rescued from collapsed residential buildings. One five-storey building in Hualien appeared heavily damaged, its first floor collapsed and the bulk of the building leaning at a 45-degree angle. Taiwan’s Centre for Science and Technology (CST) said people and vehicles were trapped in the Dachingshui tunnel. Train lines were also damaged, and schools and workplaces were closed across large areas of the city. Witnesses in Hualien described driving while rocks dislodged from nearby mountains fell down around them, while others rushed outside after feeling the strength of the tremors.