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A screengrab of a video of Taiwan earthquake.
Deadly earthquake in Taiwan, killing nine and causing panic. Latest updates on earthquake, damage, and rescue efforts
A viral video depicting a dog’s extraordinary instinct preceding the Taiwan earthquake has garnered widespread attention on social media. The CCTV footage, which News18 couldn’t independently verify, shows the dog seated on a couch before swiftly detecting danger, prompting it to alert its owners by rushing indoors.
As the earthquake occurs, the owners quickly seek refuge under a table. Meanwhile, the dog skillfully avoids a falling book and returns to its place on the couch. The strongest earthquake in a quarter-century rocked Taiwan during the morning rush hour Wednesday, killing nine people, sending others scrambling out the windows of damaged buildings and halting train service throughout the island. A tsunami warning was triggered but later lifted.
People on the internet were amazed to see the dog’s instinct. “They never cease to amaze us with their incredible senses and this video is a perfect example for their intuition in action. Talk about a true guardian angel in fur,” said on the users on X. “I have experienced the same incident, and my dog woke me up a few minutes before the earthquake hit,” another said. One of the person claimed that “Animals, including dogs, can sense a change in atmospheric pressure/barometric pressure or electromagnetic fields too.”
Hualien County
The quake, which also injured hundreds, was centered off the coast of rural, mountainous Hualien County, where some buildings leaned at severe angles, their ground floors crushed. Television images showed neighbors and rescue workers lifting residents, including a toddler, through windows and onto the street, after doors fused shut in the shaking. All appeared mobile, in shock but without serious injuries.
Nine people died in the quake, which struck just before 8 am, according to Taiwan’s national fire agency. The local United Daily News reported that three were hikers killed in rockslides in Taroko National Park, which is in Hualien, and that a van driver died in the same area when boulders hit the vehicle. Another 934 people were injured. Meanwhile, authorities said they had lost contact with 50 people in minibuses in the national park after the quake downed phone networks.
Aftershocks
Another six people were trapped in a coal mine, where a rescue was underway. The quake and aftershocks also caused 24 landslides and damage to 35 roads, bridges and tunnels. Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency said the quake was 7.2 magnitude while the U.S. Geological Survey put it at 7.4. It struck about 18 kilometers off of Hualien, on Taiwan’s east coast, and was about 35 kilometers deep. Multiple aftershocks followed.
The earthquake was felt in Shanghai and several provinces along China’s southeastern coast, according to Chinese media. China and Taiwan are about 160 kilometers apart. The Japan Meteorological Agency said a tsunami of 30 centimeters was detected on the coast of Yonaguni island about 15 minutes after the quake struck. Smaller waves were measured in Ishigaki and Miyako islands. All alerts in the region had been lifted by Wednesday afternoon. Taiwan lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” the line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.
(With agency inputs)
