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Earthquake topples buildings in Taiwan; at least 439 killed

Ruins
A ruined building lies on its side following Tuesday's earthquake  

VIDEO
Watch unedited footage of the aftermath of the earthquake
Windows Media 28K 80K
 IMAGE GALLERY
Images of the Quake
 EARTHQUAKE SEVERITY:

Taiwan quake measured 7.6 magnitude


InteractiveINTERACTIVE:
Major quakes in the last 20 years

MESSAGE BOARDS:
Taiwan quake
Audio  SOUND:
Journalist Jason Blatt explains the situation:

(Audio 281 K/24 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)


International community radio anchor, Kendall Buhl, tells how people reacted to the earthquake:

(Audio 413 K/ 35 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)


Governor of Idaho, Dirk Kempthorne, relates his earthquake experience:

(Audio 182 K/15 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

September 21, 1999
Web posted at: 10:04 a.m. HKT (0204 GMT)

TAIPEI, Taiwan (CNN) -- A powerful earthquake shook Taiwan early Tuesday, toppling buildings in the capital and cutting telephone and power lines across most of the island. State radio described it as the strongest quake to hit Taiwan in more than a decade.

Officials said at least 439 people were killed, more than 2,000 injured and more than 1,000 others were trapped in toppled homes and buildings, some in elevators. Six million households were without power. Local journalists said several buildings had collapsed in Taipei, a city of nearly 2 million people. The upper seven floors of the 12-story Sungshan Hotel slid off and smashed into a nearby building.

Survivors screamed for help from piles of crumpled concrete as rescue crews carried the wounded down ladders to safety. Dazed residents stood outside their homes, clad only in underwear or pajamas.

The U.S. Geological Survey, which monitors seismic activity worldwide, said the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 and was centered in Nantou county, some 90 miles (150 km) southwest of Taipei in a sparsely populated mountainous region in the center of the island. Local officials in Taipei put the magnitude at 7.3.

Because communications had been severed, officials said they couldn't determine the extent of the damage in the remote interior near the epicenter. They said it would most likely be daylight before they learned any details.

The Broadcasting Corporation of China reported that a row of houses collapsed in Chang Hua county in central Taiwan, injuring at least three people. Ten others were believed trapped in the wreckage, the radio said.

Electric and telephone service was interrupted by the quake, which occurred at about 1:45 a.m. It was followed by four aftershocks with a magnitude of 6.0.

"Aftershocks are likely to linger," said government spokesman C.J. Chen.

A tsunami warning issued immediately after the quake has now been lifted.

Idaho state Sen. Jim Risch, part of a 20-member trade delegation to Taiwan, said he was on the 16th floor of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei when the temblor hit. He said there was "substantial movement" in the hotel.

"It just seemed to go on and on and on," said Risch, who said he was not hurt.

Risch said he and other members of the delegation, including Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, evacuated the hotel. On the street, he said, they felt two aftershocks.

After the quake hit, sirens resounded through Taipei. But there was no sign of panic.

Carry
A rescuer carries a quake survivor from his ruined home  

In the southwestern Chiang Kai-shek district, some people brought candles into the street. Many carried umbrellas to stay out of the rain, huddling around battery-operated radios.

In Yung Ho, a suburb south of Taipei, electricity was out in houses, but street lights were on. Many people left their homes and stood on the sidewalks in the rain.

"The building was shaking violently," said one resident, 34-year-old Chen Wen. "It was scary. Our glasses fell on the floor and broke. It was the most violent quake I've ever experienced."

The quake is the strongest in 13 years. A magnitude 7.8 quake struck on November 14, 1986, in about the same region, killing 15 and injuring 44 others.

"Normally a quake this size can kill dozens of people and collapse quite a few buildings in a populated region," said Stewart Koyanagi of the USGS.

The quake is similar in magnitude to the recent Turkey quake that killed at least 15,000 people.

Copyright 1999 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.


ASIANOW


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RELATED SITES:
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Inside China


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